Ledger Art

I was thinking of the tradition of ledger art, but I was also thinking of the other, original meaning of ledger - a place for keeping track of sums...It is sort of a bittersweet notion - the whole idea of ledgers and accounting for what has been taken from Indians and what we were given in exchange. - Arthur Amiotte, 1995

Beginning in the late 19th Century, as the Plains Indians were forced to make the transition from the freedom of the open prairie to the captivity of reservation life, this move also changed the way they recorded their art and history.

As the Native people lost access to what was once a common material - the leather animal hide - they began using the pages of old ledger accounting books (formerly used by Indian Agents, traders and military officers) to record their visual history.

This abrupt switch to using paper is reflective of the drastic changes taking place in Plains Indian life during the late 1800s…but it also shows their incredible ingenuity and extraordinary ability to adopt new materials and create.

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Power of the Lightning

Power of the Lightning

$450.00
detail of ledger drawing Colors of Brotherhood

Colors of Brotherhood

$1,250.00
detail of Eagle Hawk ledger drawing

Eagle Hawk

$1,050.00
detail of Two Star Horses ledger drawing

Two Star Horses

$280.00
detail of Small Hawk ledger drawing

Small Hawk

$295.00
Chased From the Swimming Hole

Chased From the Swimming Hole

$2,500.00
Rides with Thunder

Rides with Thunder

$1,250.00
Ledger Art: Native American image of Indian warriors on horseback chasing through an enemy camp.

Chasing Through The Coup

$80.00
Ledger Art: Counting Coup, Native American image of Indian warriors on horseback riding through enemy camp.

Counting Coup

$80.00
Ledger Art: More than a Few, Native American drawing of a herd of colorful horses.

More Than A Few

$80.00
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