POINTSWESTsummer 2014 PLAINS INDIAN BUFFALO CULTURE GALLERY OPENS Celebrating Harry Jackson Buffalo Bill’s billboards Baskets and paintings About the cover: Fully-beaded horse mask. Blackfoot-Kainai, Canada, ca. 1870. The Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection, to the point acquired through the generosity of the Dyck BY BRUCE ELDREDGE | Executive Director family and additional gifts of the Nielson Family and the Estate of Margaret S. Coe. NA.403.221 ©2014 Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Points West is published for members and friends of the Center of the West. Written permission is required to copy, reprint, or distribute Points West materials in any medium or format. All photographs in Points West are Center of the West photos unless otherwise noted. Direct all questions about image rights and reproduction to [email protected]. Bibliographies, works cited, and footnotes, etc. are purposely omitted to conserve space. However, such information is available by contacting the editor. Address correspondence to Editor, Points West, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, 720 Sheridan Avenue, Cody, Wyoming 82414, or [email protected]. “I am of the opinion that my life belongs ■ Managing Editor | Marguerite House to the whole community...” ■ Assistant Editor | Nancy McClure – george bernard shaw ■ Designer | Desirée Pettet ■ Contributing Staff Photographers | Mack e here at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West are mourning the loss on Frost, Nancy McClure March 19 of a generous benefactor, a trustee of forty-two years, advisor, ■ leader, and our dear friend—Ernie Goppert. Credits and Permissions | Ann Marie WErnie was truly a civic-minded man whose list of interests included kids, firemen, Donoghue business, investors, veterans, and his church—all in the name of community. ■ Advisory Team | Marguerite House, Public We are so very thankful that this goodhearted man considered the Center such Relations & Managing Editor; Nancy McClure, a major part of his community—and so appreciative of the tradition of giving Public Relations & Assistant Editor; Desirée Pettet, in this family. After Buffalo Bill died in 1917, his niece Mary Jester Allen recruited Designer; Mindy Besaw, Curator, Whitney Western Ernie’s father, “Gop,” to do pro bono legal work to create the Buffalo Bill Memorial Art Museum; Megan Smith, School Services Association. Gop served the association tirelessly from that time until his death in Coordinator; Tom Roberson, Chief Development 1987, including more than thirty-five years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Officer Ernie carried on the family tradition, serving as a Trustee since 1973, including numerous leadership positions. His wife, Marjorie, currently serves on the Points West is published quarterly for patrons and friends of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. McCracken Research Library Advisory Board, and daughter Deborah Goppert For more information, contact the editor at the Hofstedt now follows in her father’s and grandfather’s footsteps as Trustee. address above. A familiar sight in his large station wagon, Ernie regularly perused the Center’s The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a private, grounds to be sure that all was in order. Needless to say, he took his job as Trustee non-profit, educational institution dedicated seriously, and we’re the better for it. We should all aspire to his commitment to preserving and interpreting the natural and and generosity! How fortunate we are for all the “Ernie Gopperts” out there who cultural history of the American West. Founded support the Center. Without your time, treasure, and talent, there simply wouldn’t in 1917, its collections include: Buffalo Bill and the West he lived and loved, historic photographs be a Buffalo Bill Center of the West. and documents, firearms, natural science of the The words of playwright George Bernard Shaw sound as if Ernie might have Greater Yellowstone region, Plains Indians, and penned them himself. Shaw wrote, “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the masterworks of western art. whole community, and as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can…Life is The mission of Points West is to deliver an no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I’ve got a hold of for the engaging, educational magazine primarily to moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to our members and friends. Points West will use a multi-disciplinary strategy to connect the reader future generations.” to the nature and culture of the American West, We are indebted to all those who came before Ernie and who will follow him in and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in particular, their support of this marvelous place that is the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. through exceptional images and appealing, reader- Our future generations thank you, Ernie. ■ friendly stories 2 ­­– Buffalo Bill Center of the West | POINTS WEST | Summer 2014 contents departments 32 Bits and bytes News, activities, events, and calendar 36 Treasures from our West A look at our collections 38 Between the bookends An Improbable Pioneer: The Letters of Edith S. Holden Healy, 1911-1950, by Cathy Healy; review by Karling Clymer Abernathy 39 A thousand words A story told through a single photo highlights 4 Paul Dyck Collection 10 on display Authenticity in western American paintings | Examining Native American New gallery opens basketry in the studio collections of three artists in Plains Indian Museum 16 Turning back: Reflecting on the art of Harry Jackson | Living the West, loving the West, painting the West VISIT US ONLINE | Stay in touch with Hinono’ei (Southern all that’s happening at the Center of Arapaho) tobacco bag, the West. Keep an eye on our website; ca. 1870. The Paul Dyck follow us in social media; and sign up Plains Indian BUffalo today at centerofthewest.org/e-news- Culture Collection, signup to receive our e-newsletter acquired through the Western Wire. generosity of the Dyck Points West is the magazine of Family and the Estate the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, of Margaret S. Coe. Cody, Wyoming. NA.504.405 Buffalo Bill Center of the West | POINTS WEST | Summer 2014 – 3 All objects pictured are from the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection, acquired through the generosity Hidatsa boys tanned hide shirt with of the Dyck family and additional gifts of the Nielson porcupine quill decoration, ca. 1890. Family and the Estate of Margaret S. Coe. These, as well as NA.202.1273 the cover and table of contents images, are representative of the objects on display in the Paul Dyck Gallery. Art of the Buffalo Culture Era: The Paul Dyck Collection BY EMMA I. HANSEN | Plains Indian Museum Curator Emerita n June 15, 2013, the Plains Indian Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West attained one of its goals for the Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture OCollection: the public opening of the permanent gallery devoted to this superb collection of Native American artistry. Almost four hundred people—including Dyck family members—had attended the Patrons Opening of the gallery on the evening of June 14. After singing and drumming by the Fights Alone Drum Group from Pryor, Montana, Crow elder Heywood Big Day smudged and blessed the collection and the exhibition gallery as a prelude to the formal presentations. Oglala Lakota artist and Plains Indian Museum Advisory Board member Arthur Amiotte, and the Center’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Barron Collier, presented eloquent and meaningful observations about the Paul Dyck Collection and its significance in the study and understanding of Plains Native arts, as well as in the museum’s present and future exhibitions, publications, and programs. Reflecting the continuity of Plains artistic and cultural traditions from the buffalo-hunting days to contemporary life, the Plains Indian Museum Powwow on June 15 – 16 also commemorated the opening of the Dyck Gallery. Throughout Apsáalooke (Crow) charm made from tanned hide, glass beads, the weekend, Powwow dancers and museum visitors alike pigments, and sage grouse feathers, ca. 1900. NA.502.345 Buffalo Bill Center of the West | POINTS WEST | Summer 2014 – 5 paul dyck collection On June 14, 2013, patrons, friends, and dignitaries attend a special preview of the permanent Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection Gallery. Photo by Ken Blackbird. enjoyed participating in the Powwow as a celebration of tribal leggings; cradles decorated in beads and porcupine quillwork in heritages and contemporary artistic expressions, and viewing culturally distinctive designs; buffalo-hide tipis and furnishings; the magnificent pre-reservation art of the Paul Dyck Collection. painted buffalo robes, shields, and weapons; pipes and pipe bags; bear claw necklaces; eagle feather bonnets; and peace medals dating from the late 1700s to the 1890s. Dyck identified The Buffalo Culture Collection this period as the “Buffalo Culture” era. The acquisition of the Paul Dyck Collection provides an The Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection opportunity for the museum to enhance and extend back in constitutes the life’s work of an individual with a mission: to time the story of Plains Indian peoples—their arts, cultures, assemble the finest examples of Plains Indian arts available and histories—using unique cultural materials previously to him and build a museum to exhibit the collection with an underrepresented in our collection. Amiotte has stated that the interpretation based upon his own study of Native cultures objects in this collection can be considered as the “grandparents” and histories. With origins in his father’s collection begun in or even “great grandparents” of our existing Plains Indian 1886 when he lived near the Blood Reserve in Alberta, Canada, Museum collection primarily consisting of late nineteenth century Paul Dyck systematically expanded his collection over many to contemporary materials.