Silver Horn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Silver Horn
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| Haungooah | |
Painting of Silver Horn by E.A Burbank, 1898.
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| Born | 1860 |
| Died | 1940 (aged 79–80) |
| Nationality | Kiowa |
| Known for | A prominent ledger artist of the Kiowa Indians |
Silver Horn or Haungooah (1860–1940) was a talented Kiowa artist from Oklahoma. He is famous for his unique style of art called ledger art. This type of art was made on old ledger books or paper. Silver Horn used his art to tell stories and record the history of his people.
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Who Was Silver Horn?
Silver Horn was born around 1860. His parents were Agiati, also known as Gathering Feathers, and Sa-Poodle, or Traveling in the Rain. He was a proud member of the Kiowa Indian tribe in Oklahoma. His Kiowa name, Haungooah, means "sunlight reflecting off a buffalo horn." It describes how a buffalo horn can shine like polished, white metal in the sun.
Silver Horn was one of the most respected artists of his time. He lived during a period when the Kiowa people were moving to reservations. He married Hattie Tau-Goom, also called Bending Knee Woman. They had eight children together. His oldest son, Billie Bow "James" Silverhorn, became a well-known Peyote Man. Other children included May, George, Max Sr., Iva, Arthur, Sarah Louise, and Chester.
Silver Horn's father, Agiati, was a "calendar keeper." This meant he kept track of important events for the Kiowa people. He used pictures to record history, much like a visual calendar. Agiati learned this skill from his uncle, Dohasan, who was a main calendar keeper for the Kiowas for many years.
Silver Horn's Amazing Art
Silver Horn was known for using many different art materials. He worked with pencils, colored pencils, crayons, pens, ink, and watercolors. He drew on animal hides, cloth called muslin, and paper. Between 1870 and 1920, he created over a thousand drawings and artworks.
His art showed many parts of Kiowa culture. He drew traditional images, scenes of warfare, and "coup counting." Coup counting was a way to show bravery in battle. He also depicted the Sun Dance, early Peyote religion, and everyday life. Silver Horn saw big changes happen to his people. They went from hunting buffalo and living a nomadic life to living on reservations. His art often showed these difficult changes.
Silver Horn's drawings were like visions. He used abstract shapes on shields and recorded events in his "pictorial calendar." Many Plains tribes used pictures to keep calendars. These pictures helped them remember the name of each year. Silver Horn made a complex calendar system. He recorded events for both summer and winter each year. His drawings of battles showed past events and more recent conflicts. He also drew ceremonies that were just starting. He even illustrated myths and old stories, including supernatural figures.
Silver Horn's Lasting Legacy
Silver Horn's artworks are still displayed today. A large collection of his pieces is kept at the Museum of New Mexico (MNM). In 1995, a big art show traveled around the United States. It featured his works from the MNM and from his great-niece, Jeri Ah-be-hill. Jeri Ah-be-hill was an expert on Native American clothing. Her daughters, Teri Greeves and Keri Ataumbi, are famous for their beadwork and jewelry.
Silver Horn taught his great-nephew, Stephen Mopope, how to paint on hides. Stephen Mopope later became one of the famous Kiowa Six artists. Many of Silver Horn's family members are artists today. His grandsons, James, Dutch, and Max Silverhorn, are known for their work with German silver, beadwork, and featherwork. His great-granddaughter, Katherine Dickerson, is a Kiowa beadworker, German silver worker, and moccasin maker. Another grandson, Art "Haungooah" Cody, became an award-winning potter. Art's son, Dean Haungooah, continues this pottery tradition.
Images for kids
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Mac Silverhorn (Comanche), grandson of Silver Horn, drumming with friend at Redstone Baptist Church
