Belden, the white chief- apishamore saddle circa 1870

 Salvete Omnes,

George P. Belden, native of Ohio, was a cavalryman in the Nebraska Cavalry and then got his Lieutenant's commission in the regular army as as 2nd Lt US 2nd Cavalry , serving in Dakota Territory and Wyoming Territory. He was cashiered from the Army in Nov 1869, and died in 1871. 
He wrote and published his experiences as Belden, The White Chief; or Twelve Years Among the Wild Indians of the Plains (Vet pub, NY- 1870), with illustrations based on his and fellow soldier, Mr. Innman, drawings.

Within his book there is a short chapter on the 'apishamore'  or soft pad saddle made for  White Bear by his wife.

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to be continued

Salvete

William de la Montagne Cary - early American West painter - art from Gilcrease Museum

 Salvete Omnes,

Boy feeding a pet crow

Gilcrerase museum of Oklahoma City has a great collection of the American Western art, including the art of William de la Montagne Cary. William de la Montagne Cary and his art belong  to the category of the early American painters of the American Trans-Mississippi frontier.

We should note that W.M Cary, born June 30, 1840, made his first excursion into the Trans-Mississippi West in 1861, way ahead of the likes of Russell, Paxson, Remington etc. During this trip on the Missouri River he visited and met  the Yankton Sioux, Crow, Assinaboines, Red River Metis, Blackfeet etc.

Fording the Missouri

Well, let us see some digitized images of his art from the Gilcrease Museum -

a rare image of dog travois

all Gilcrease museum images are  in copyright -  I am presenting them here for educational purposes only

as per learning a little more about maestro William we can search the net - eg Amon Carter Museum, gallery sites like Artnet,  Christies or Sothebys  , Betty Krulik etc, but  there is a readily available  book, titled  William  de la Montagne Cary: artist on the Missouri River by Mildred Ladner,  that can be borrowed  from Archive world library.

Valete

Batty & bison hunting 2

Salve,
'Mister' Joe Batty back in the saddle, so to speak:

HOW TO HUNT [Buffalo]*
Buffalo are hunted in two ways: 
they are still-hunted on foot with a heavy rifle, 
or
run with horses and shot with the carbine, army revolver, or Winchester repeating rifle. 
                                    ***
It is a much more difficult matter to shoot well when mounted than on foot; rifles should not be cocked until an instant before discharging, and the finger must not rest upon the trigger except at the moment of action. Unless these rules are carefully observed, and the utmost caution taken, sudden movements and irregular motions in riding, will sometimes cause the gun to discharge, and the rider to shoot his own horse. In general shooting, hit the game high in the shoulder. Most of the hunters who shoot for market, stalk the game and fire at long range with the heavy Sharpe's rifle.[article on the 1863 and 1874 models]

The large American horse is a rough rider, and unless thoroughly broken to the sight of buffalo, and perfectly trained to rough ground, is liable to stumble, and throw one over his head at any moment. 

There is but little danger with the Indian pony ; he runs securely and smoothly, and knows how to " lay aside " a buffalo as well as his rider does. The most comfortable way to be mounted is Indian fashion, with double pad resting each side of the pony's spine, as a substitute for a saddle [apishamore]. Moccasins keep the feet from slipping, and enable one to retain his seat with ease. If a saddle is used, the Spanish saddle with the California tree is the easiest ridden and the safest known. With the McClellan saddle, one frequently gets unhorsed; it answers, however, for ordinary riding.
When preparing for the hunt, saddle-bags and blankets are removed from the horses, and saddles are cinched tightly; the hunter then straps a well filled cartridge belt around his waist, seizes his weapon, mounts his pony, and is ready for the run.

clearly an apishamore saddle on the roan horse

It is quite a feat to shoot successfully from a horse's back, when on a dead run, and one should not attempt it unless he has been long accustomed to the saddle.
When making a surround, the herd is usually sighted from a distance, and the hunters approach from the bottoms, or " coolies ;" it takes considerable time, but is generally successful if managed by veteran hunters. Should the herd become alarmed and stampede before the surround is completed, the hunters rush from concealment and endeavor to turn the herd. Then follows an exciting moment; the yelling of the hunters, rapid running and thundering tread of the buffalo, and constant reports of the guns, with horsemen half visible in a cloud of dust, form a strange, wild and exciting scene, that must be seen from a distance to be appreciated. When one is in the excitement of the chase, he can have no idea of general effect ; he singles out his buffalo, and runs it to the death, and should the chase be a short one, he heads another band and obtains a second run. Buffalo usually fall on their knees with
the fore legs doubled under, and often one horn is buried in the ground. After the hunt, the hunters are called together by signal, and proceed to dress the game.
If the skins are saved they are taken off flat, like cattle hides, salted (except in cold weather), then stretched on the ground, driving stakes through holes in the edges ; but if the flesh only is used, the best of it is cut in flakes and the horses are packed with as much as they can carry. When killed for the market, they are quartered with the skins on, and wagons are used for their transportation.

enjoy
*American bison

Old watercolour - Plains warrior fantasy

hello again,
long time ago I drew a sketch of a mounted Native warrior, and then  I went over it with 'dry-brush' watercolour - the end result was  this rather fantasy-related drawing of a Plains rider (North American native warrior of the pre-1840s).
As I can recall my then-intent it had to do with this idea of showing a native warrior along with his war paraphernalia - coup stick, long lance, bow and arrows etc - displaying a captured musket/rifle and cartridge pouch of a US army soldier.

I say pre-1840s because he has tanned leather tubular leggings with coup marks and has not many items that can be related to the European, Mexican or American manufacture. His hair is adorned with eagle feathers with coup marks and his medicinal bird - crow or some other black bird . while his concave shield with various ritual images and hawk feathers etc should have been held by a shoulder strap and/or rim handle, as Plains shields were not held in the Old World fashion, by a hoop or handle in the middle of a shield.
He has a blanket wrapped around his hips, a typical Plains fashion until the end of the era, i.e., early XX century. In the millenia old tradition he painted his pace, and  his torso and arms, and has a gorget-like shell and trade beads  necklace on his chest. I gave him a choker but I do not think it was a good idea, well, too late as watercolours are hard to correct..
His mount has a eagle feather in its forelock, medicine and war exploits marks painted  on its body - coup marks etc, while there is a scalp lock hoop hanging on the war bridle, note that the bridle is but  a single rawhide rope with its end trailing the ground. The function of the scalp lock attached to the war bridle was not only to show this horse and its owner's war prowess, but also more practical as it caused a horse to keep its head lower when moving or risk being smacked around the sensitive head ( nostrils, jaw, face etc)  by the hooped scalp lock - quite ingenious horse-riding aide invented by the Plains tribes, well attested in the rock  and ledger art of the Plains. I am not showing his apishamore (Piegan word for the treeless leather/hide Plains saddle)but it may be covered with his blankets etc.
Horse's tail is tied for war and thus not visible.

There are things that I missed: a knife in a decorated sheath, war-club or hatchet. Proportions are off and things are unsteady but I still like this image, so it will stay.

   I got another old watercolour of Plains mounted warrior  that I will post next time the Plains warriors are subject of my notes and musings.
pa ka