Red Leaf did go to Washington just the once, with the Red Cloud Agency delegation in May-June 1872. That plantation owner's fan, or in any case one like it, turns up in one or two 1872 images (I'm thinking of the shot of Slow Bull kneeling, obviously cropped from a group portrait). But Red Leaf isn't included in the classic Alexander Gardner series of portraits done in 1872. — Kingsley Bray

[Stanley] Morrow made a visit down to the new Spotted Tail Agency in 1878 (I think), before the agency was moved one final time to become the Rosebud Agency. I suspect that some of Morrow's Brule images, including the one of Red Leaf in his blanket, were taken at that time, but I have no confirmation yet. — Ephriam Dickson

Red Leaf was born about 1815, and he crops up in one of the Rosebud Agency censuses, maybe 1886 or '87 (with a 30 year-old wife!), but I can't find him after that. Perhaps Ephriam can help with his census data.

He was a presumably younger brother of Scattering Bear (Mato Wayuhi - I've had wayuhi explained as like a bear digging in the earth and scattering roots). They belonged to one of the leading families within the Wazhazha band, a large tiwahe with very extensive connections. As early as 1844-45 trader David Adams considered Scattering Bear as the leader of one constituent sub-band of the Wazhazhas. SB dealt directly with Adams and rival traders as the 'chief' of this group. In January 1846 a group of Brule chiefs - they seem largely to be Wazhazhas - signed a petition to be presented to the President, requesting recompense for the loss of resources to the emigrant traffic along the North Platte River. Scattering Bear was signatory no. 1.

In 1851 SB was selected by treaty commissioner David Mitchell as the head chief of the Lakotas during the councils for the Horse Creek Treaty. The council of Lakota leaders then validated Mitchell's choice, and SB - reluctantly - agreed to act as the principal intermediary between Americans and the Lakotas. Red Leaf during this period is unmentioned in the sources, but it is likely that he was one of his brother's aides - I suspect the Lakota term would be kolaya. He may have served as an akichita or police officer. After the killing of his brother in the Grattan fight of 1854 Red Leaf and several kinsmen, inluding brother Long Chin and cousin Spotted Tail, avenged the death in the mail coach raid of November 1854. In the fallout from this raid, the Wazhazha band council - temporarily united around a peace agenda under the headman Stabber - drove out Red Leaf and his adherents. With 26 lodges of Wazhazhas (about one third of the whole band) they were part of the camp attacked by Harney at the Blue Water in Sept. 1855. The surrender of the mail coach raiders was one of Harney's demands for peace, and after prolonged negotiations run by Agent Twiss and the peace party Lakotas, Red Leaf, Long Chin, and Spotted Tail surrendered in October. They were sent to Ft Leavenworth for several months in the winter. President Pierce pardoned them in January 1856, and they shortly were moved to Ft Kearney on the Nebraska frontier, where they stayed throughout the spring and summer of 1856.

After return (Sept. 1856) to the Brules, Red Leaf was selected as the band chieftain (Wichasha Itanchan) of the Wazhazhas. Reading and hopefully not over-reading Woman Dress statement to JR Walker, I suggest he was taken into the Brule chiefs society (Nacha Okolakichiye). He did not succeed to his brother SB's unique position as head chief (Billy Garnett's account inidicates that the dying SB had passed it on to Man Afraid of His Horse of the Oglalas - a case of a poisoned chalice?). He remained the most widely influential Wazhazha leader through the next generation. One thing I've detected in council proceedings is how often Wazhazha spokesmen were younger men - Red Leaf spoke comparatively rarely. Far from being a symptom of weakness, I suggest that Red Leaf's tactic of engaging the rising men was a successful strategy. How else explain the almost unprecedented growth in the Wazhazha band - eighty lodges in 1854 (about 500 people), to just under 200 by 1875. This means that people from other bands were attracted to join the Wazhazhas. There was quite a spurt during the Bozeman Trail war period - reflecting Wazhazha involvement in the profitable stock raiding - but it continues right into the years that the band settled at Red Cloud Agency (1871-77), when Red Leaf's leadership continued to attract new adherents. Chiefs with bigger names today - Red Cloud, Man Afraid of His Horse, Little Wound, and so on - couldn't match this - so our friend RL was 'doing something right'.

The 1887 Rosebud census is now online at the Oyate Research Center website. I just rechecked there and under Wazhazha band we find the following family:

Red Leaf, Husband, Age 72
Fight all the Time, Wife, 30
Look Good, Daughter, 8
Little Girl, Daughter, 6
Foot Son, 2

This suggests that Red Leaf's youngest wife married the chief about 1877 or 78 (possibly linked to the move from Red Cloud to Spotted Tail Agency in April 1877?), and their eldest child was born a year or two later. — Kingsley Bray

Here is another photograph of Red Leaf. Probably he is also in the second photograph of the same session (standing far left with hat):

Below: 1. Lt. Carter 2. Tavernier 3. Dear (indian trader) 4. Lt. Buchanan 5. Red Leaf

— Dietmar Schulte-Möhring

The 1874 photographs [above] were taken by Lieutenant Thomas Wilhelm, 8th Infantry, in the spring of 1874, shortly after the establishment of Camp Robinson and Camp Sheridan near the White River agencies.

Wilhelm, who was adjutant for the 8th Infantry and an amateur photographer, requested permission to visit the agencies where several companies of his regiment were stationed. He traveled with artist Jules Tavernier from Cheyenne to Fort Laramie, then to Fort Fetterman, and finally to Camp Robinson, accompanying Captain Stanton, the department paymaster (since travel in this region was very dangerous during this time).

Two people were most instrumental in helping Wilhelm obtain photographs. James W. Dear, one of two Indian traders at Red Cloud (his store was located on the west side of the agency; Frank Yates, brother of Captain Yates 7th Cav, operated the store on the east side) made introductions. Also Lieutenant William H. Carter, also a member of the 8th Infantry, helped.

The two tintypes were taken inside the compound or corral of J. W. Dear's store at the Red Cloud Agency (not at Camp Robinson -- remember, did not become known as Fort Robinson until 1878). You will notice that one of the images is reversed -- as happens in some tintypes depending upon the type of camera. Wilhelm presented both of these images to Lieutenant Carter in appreciation for his assistance; Carter later donated them to the National Archives along with his life-time collection of military memorabilia. All of the copies you see, credited to the Nebraska State Historical Society and elsewhere, are just copies of the original two tintypes at the National Archives. — Ephriam Dickson