Born
a Hunkpapa, Red Dog married into the Oglala tribe probably
in the late 1830s, his wife being one of Red Cloud's sisters.
He became a headman in the Oyuhpe band. An accomplished
orator he shaped Oglala consensus for going to war with
the USA in 1864, but in 1867-68 he seems to have been
one of the Lakota leaders who facilitated treaty negotiations.
In 1870 he was one of the key leaders favouring dialogue
with the USA, settling at Red Cloud Agency two years later.
He was a regular spokesman at the agency, and won the
support of the Kit-Fox Society in the Black Hills negotiations
of 1875 - he demanding subsistence and annuities for seven
generations ahead. His influence waned, but he seems to
be the old holy man, Red Dog or Fox Belly, who helped
young Black Elk stage his vision ceremony at Pine Ridge
ca. 1883. He died about 1885. His personal kindred of
the Oyuhpe band was by then known as the Makaicu (Takes
the Earth) band, probably satire on Red Dog's pro-treaty
ideology.
Red Dog's ledger book is in the National Anthropological
Archives, Smithsonian Institution. Several of the images
are downloadable on the NAA website, depicting some of
Red Dog's own war exploits in the 1830's-50's. —
Kingsley Bray
Here
are three pictures of Red Dog himself. The one in the cap
is dated 1872; I'm not sure about the others but the one
in the cloth shirt must be 1877, and from his face, I'm
guessing the group photo is from the period between the
other two (I have seen another photo of him in the same
- or similar earrings, but offhand, I don't know where).
—
Grahame Wood
1.
The first photograph was indeed taken in 1872, by Alexander
Gardner; it is one of I think three portraits of Red Dog
from this period.
2.
The second photograph was taken in the fall of 1877 by D.
S. Mitchell.
3.
The third photograph, a group photograph, is the only photograph
known from the 1870 delegation to Washington D.C., taken
by Mathew Brady. — Ephriam
Dickson
Here
are another couple of photos of Red Dog. The first is an
1880 delegation picture by Charles Bell. Red Dog's 'accommodationist'
outlook perhaps reflected by his dress. L to R: Red Dog,
Little Wound (wearing the shirt in which several leaders
were photographed during the 1877 delegation; Red Cloud
also wore it during this one for what is probably his most
famous photo), Red Cloud, American Horse and Red Shirt.
The
second is to be found in Hinman's Oglala Sources on the
Life of Crazy Horse, in Nebraska History and seems to feature
several men decked out for an 1874 trip to Red Cloud agency
in hats and fine blankets - the central standing figure
seems to be wearing a quilled robe, but this is scan of
a photocopy of a damaged photo, so it's not easy to tell.
Red Dog is No. 2; none of the other Indians are named. Anyone
know the photographer or whether there were more images
taken at the time?
—
Grahame Wood
Red Dog in Carlisle
Hoyt
& Hamilton photo of Red Dog from 1872
—
Dietmar Schulte-Möhring
Here's
Red Dog by Godkin:
Here's
the other Red Dog by Godkin. Note the cardigan!
—
Grahame Wood
Red
Dog by Curtis, 1907:
—
Dietmar Schulte-Möhring
Following
Red Dog's death, his son took his name. This Curtis photograph
could be of the son. —
Ephriam Dickson
There
are 9 pages of ledger drawings in the Garrick Mallery Collection
at the Smithsonian Institution, showing his exploits against
the Mandan and Pawnee. Here's an example:
This
ledger painting is from Treasures of the National Museum
of the American Indian by Clara Sue Kidwell and Richard
W. Hill, Sr. (Abbeville Press, NY, 1996):
