Custer's War
On View In:

Artist:   One Bull  
Title:   Custer's War  
Date:   c. 1900  
Medium:   Muslin, colored pencil  
Dimensions:   69 1/4 x 39 1/2 in. (175.9 x 100.3 cm) (irregular)  
Credit Line:   The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund  
Location:   Gallery Not on view  

In the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Cheyenne, Lakota, and Arapaho warriors won a stunning victory over the United States Army. Euro-American and Native American military historians still discuss the battle, but accounts through Indian eyes are relatively rare. One Bull fought in the 1876 battle and later painted this comprehensive view of events. Across the top and to the right, he portrayed various episodes from the confrontation, carefully annotating some in pencil. At the left center, he drew radiating circles to represent the tipi encampments of the principal Lakota and Cheyenne groups, while the heads at lower left depict the warriors' families camped near the battle. In the center of the piece, One Bull illustrates himself holding Sitting Bull's shield while mounted on a horse. He rushes to the battle scene and rescues a friend who has been wounded. One Bull uses pictographic methods to portray this scene. He carefully rendered each horse and provided details on important items such as Sitting Bull's shield.

Artist/Creator(s)     
Name:   One Bull  
Role:   Painter  
Culture:   Hunkpapa Lakota  
 

Object Description  
  
Classification:   Painting  
Creation Place:   , , Great Plains region  
Accession #:   94.47.1  
Owner:   The Minneapolis Institute of Arts