Shield

between 1860 and 1868

Cheyenne, Native American

Not On View

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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Audio Transcript

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About the Artwork

This shield probably belonged to Little Rock, a Cheyenne man who was killed at the Battle of the Washita in 1868. The power of the shield was evoked by its owner for spiritual and physical protection. The symbols and colors used on the shield present a complete picture of the spiritual world. The light circle at the edge is Earth, with peaks of mountains in the four directions; the crescent moon above and the group of seven circles representing the star cluster of the Pleiades are set against the blue sky, with four birds circling a large Thunderbird.

Title Shield

Artwork Date between 1860 and 1868

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Native American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Cheyenne

Medium Buffalo hide, deerskin, eagle feathers, owl feathers, brass hawkbells, and pigment

Dimensions Overall: 1 1/4 × 19 1/4 inches (3.2 × 48.9 cm)

Classification Arms and Armor

Department Indigenous Americas

Credit Gift of Detroit Scientific Association

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 76.144

Markings

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Provenance

purportedly used by Chief Little Rock (died 27 November 1868 at the Battle of the Washita River, near Cheyenne, Oklahoma, USA);
1868, acquired by Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) at the Battle of the Washita River;
26 May 1869, donated to the Detroit Audubon Club (Detroit, Michigan, USA);
ca. 1915, gift to the Detroit Scientific Association (which had a display on the second floor of the Detroit Museum of Art);
by 1918, left to the Detroit Museum of Art (Detroit, Michigan, USA) upon disbandment of the Detroit Scientific Association;
1976-present, accessioned by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Published References

Maurer, E. M. The Native American Heritage: A Survey of North American Indian Art. Exh. cat., Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, 1977, p. 170, no. 206 (ill.).

Bulletin of the DIA 56, no. 1 (1977): p. 43 (ill.).

Kan, M., and W. Wierzbowski. American Indian Art (Summer 1979): p. 56, (fig. 1); p. 170 (ill.).

Kan, Michael. "Notes on an Important Southern Cheyenne Shield." Bulletin of the DIA 57, no. 3 (1979): pp. 124-133 (ill.).

100 Masterworks from the Detroit Institute of Arts. New York, 1985, pp. 88-89 (ill.).

Penney, David W., and George C. Longfish. Native American Art. Southport, Connecticut, 1994, p. 107.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Cheyenne, Native American, Shield, between 1860 and 1868, buffalo hide, deerskin, eagle feathers, owl feathers, brass hawkbells, and pigment. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Detroit Scientific Association, 76.144.