In 1875, following the Red River War, the United States government ordered the arrest of 72 prisoners of war, including Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, Caddo, and Arapaho warriors. Of these, 15 were Cheyenne. Taken from their families, they were chained and loaded onto trains and sent east. Nearly four weeks later, they arrived at Ft. Marion in St. Augustine, Florida, their home for the next three years. While at the fort, government agents attempted to assimilate the imprisoned Cheyenne. Their once long hair was cut short and their clothing was replaced by military uniforms.

For nearly 100 years, this narrative was told and retold by historians and government agents. But the Cheyenne warrior artists artfully documented their own version of the journey east and the life they left behind. Cheyenne Ledger Drawings: Stories of Warrior Artists features 52 deeply personal works by three Cheyenne artists who were part of this national forced assimilation project.

Drawn with color pencils on Army ledger paper, the images show their lives before and after captivity—colorful and richly detailed memories of hunting, courting, and communing on the Plains, and less colorful images of prisoners' drills in Army uniforms, of St. Augustine and its lighthouse, of the train and steamboat that took them there. Together, these drawings offer a window into the hearts and minds of men who were exiled for defending their families, cultures and territories. The works can be appreciated not only for their detailed narratives and historical insights, but their unique aesthetic qualities as well.

The OJAC sincerely thanks the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK, for loaning works from the Arthur and Shifra Silberman Collection for this exhibition.  

Cheyenne Ledger Drawings is generously supported by Bob & Sara Armstrong, David & Ellen Berman, Dr. Justin & Ellie Cormack, John & Ginger Dudley, Elizabeth & Clayton Henry, Jeff & Susan Jones, and Henry & Melinda Musselman.