Amos Bad Heart Bull facts for kids

Amos Bad Heart Bull, also known as Waŋblí Wapȟáha (Eagle Bonnet) (around 1868-1913), was a famous Oglala Lakota artist. He was known for a special art style called Ledger Art. This art used traditional Native American pictures, called pictography, but drew them on paper instead of animal skins. It was named "Ledger Art" because artists often used old accounting ledger books they got from traders. Amos was also the official storyteller and record-keeper (the tribal historian) for the Oglala people, just like his father, Bad Heart Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Čhaŋtéšiča), was before him.

Amos's Early Life

Amos was born around 1868 or 1869. His parents were Bad Heart Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Čhaŋtéšiča) and Red Blanket (Tȟašína Lúta Wiŋ). Amos's father was the brother of a leader named He Dog. His great-uncle was the famous Oglala chief Red Cloud.

As a young man, Amos was called Eagle Bonnet (Waŋblí Wapȟáha). He grew up living the traditional life of the Oglala Lakota people. His family belonged to a group called the Soreback Band. When he was eight years old, in 1875, George Armstrong Custer's soldiers attacked a large Native American village. This was the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The Sioux warriors won this battle against Custer's forces.

After the Great Sioux War of 1876-77 ended, Amos's family gave up at the Red Cloud Agency in April 1877. This was a few weeks before Crazy Horse surrendered. After Crazy Horse was killed in September 1877, Amos's family moved with other Oglala people to the nearby Spotted Tail Agency.

Later, the family fled north with other Oglala. They joined Sitting Bull in Canada. After a few years, the Bad Heart Bull family likely came back to the U.S. They surrendered at Fort Keogh in 1880. In 1881, they were moved to the Standing Rock Reservation. The next spring, they joined the rest of the Oglala people at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

Becoming a Talented Artist

When Amos Bad Heart Bull was young, he became very interested in the history of the Oglala people. He started drawing pictures to show traditional ways of life and important events. The Oglala had a long tradition of drawing pictures, called pictographs, to record history. They usually drew these on animal skins. This was part of what was known as a winter count, which was like a calendar of important events. Amos's father was the tribal historian and used this method.

In 1890, Amos Bad Heart Bull joined the U.S. Army as an Indian scout. He learned to speak English during this time. He served at Fort Robinson with his uncle, Grant Short Bull. While there, he bought a ledger book from a store in Crawford, Nebraska. He used the pages of this book to draw many pictures. He took the traditional Native American pictography style and adapted it to the new material: paper.

This type of artwork became known as Ledger Art. It got its name because Native American artists often used old accounting ledger books for their drawings. This art style became well-known in the late 1800s. Many Native American men who were held as prisoners of war at Fort Marion in Florida created Ledger Art. They were held there for over ten years after the Plains Wars. At the fort, they were given drawing materials and ledger books. Today, a large collection of these ledger books is kept at the Smithsonian Institution.

After his time in the Army, Amos Bad Heart Bull returned to Pine Ridge. He became a small cattle rancher. He also took on the important role of tribal historian for the Oglala Lakota, just as his father had been. He received his own land on the Pine Ridge Reservation, near other members of his Soreback Band.

Amos's Legacy: His Art and History

Amos Bad Heart Bull passed away on August 3, 1913. After his death, his sketchbook was given to his younger sister, Dolly Pretty Cloud. In the 1930s, a student named Helen Blish from the University of Nebraska contacted Dolly. Helen wanted to study Amos's artwork for her master's degree. When Dolly Pretty Cloud died in 1947, Amos's ledger book of drawings was buried with her.

However, in the 1930s, Helen Blish's professor, Hartley Burr Alexander, had already taken photographs of Amos Bad Heart Bull's drawings. These photos were used to record the artwork and to go with Helen Blish's studies. Professor Alexander later published the drawings in a book called Sioux Indian Painting (1938).

Because Professor Alexander admired Amos Bad Heart Bull's work so much, Amos's art became an important influence on the design of the Nebraska State Capitol building. You can see his influence especially in the East Chamber of the Capitol.

Later, in 1967, the University of Nebraska Press published Helen Blish's study as A Pictographic History of the Oglala Sioux. This book included the drawings of Amos Bad Heart Bull, based on copies of the original photographs. Today, experts believe that Amos Bad Heart Bull's images are a very important part of understanding Lakota history and culture.

See Also

• List of Native American artists
• Plains hide painting
• Winter count, traditional Plains calendars