"Bobtail Bull,
Arikara Scout Gathers Enemy Ponies"

*private collector-Chicago, IL

22 ½” X 30” ½”, Mixed media on Arches 300lbs water color paper

 This depiction is of Bob Tail Bull; riding between both the Sioux and Cheyenne camps gathering the enemy ponies, this piece is displayed in winter count fashion but is more appropriately a ledger hide painting. The winter counts were pictographic depictions of a tribe’s history documented on a hide or material that gave reference to monumental occurrences of the tribe. Ledger Art was introduced in the 1860s after the near extinction of the Buffalo herds and the implementation of the forced relocation of the Plains peoples to reservations.  These images were produced on remnant Ledger paper, and portrayed an individual’s accomplishments

The Arikara and Crow warriors enlisted as scouts for the 7th Cavalry to locate their age old enemy the Sioux and Cheyenne. Upon the location of the enemy encampment, “Custer disregarded consistent warnings from his scouts that one of the largest encampments of Indians in Plains history awaited him somewhere along the river.” Despite these warnings Custer, or “Yellow Hair” and the 7th cavalry elected to proceed and engage the enemy forces. The scouts were originally obligated only to scout and locate the enemy; they too elected to face their enemy in combat one more time.

Bob Tail Bull was a noted REE (Arikara) scout with the 7th cavalry and was killed in battle June 25th 1876, during the “Battle of Little Big Horn” or commonly known as “Custer’s last stand”. Bob Tail Bull a commissioned sergeant with the 7th Cavalry led a young war party of Arikara scouts into battle against the Sioux and Cheyenne encampment in a strategic flank assault to secure the enemy horses. Gathering the ponies was an essential strategy proposed by the Ree scouts to equalizing the insurmountable numbers of enemy warriors, as the Sioux and Cheyenne warriors were skilled horseman.

Native American Scouts for military operations were practiced by many other tribes’ beside the Arikara and Crow.