James Black
(Cheyenne , Watonga, Oklahoma)
War Warrior, 2020
Subject: Native American, Ledger Art
Ledger Drawing
11 x 17 in
Framed: 19.5 x 23.5 in.

James Black is a member of the Cheyenne Tribe. He was born in Watonga, Oklahoma and currently resides in El Reno, OK. He is a descendent of the Cheyenne prisoner Cohoe who was imprisoned at an old Spanish fort in St. Augustine, Florida from 1875-1878.

James Black is a self- taught artist who specializes in creating traditional style ledger art, but he does work on other mediums such as canvas and hide. He exhibits his work and participates in shows around the country at Red Earth, Santa Fe Indian Market, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Ledger art is an unique Native American artform which evolved during the Indian Wars in the 1800’s. While in the prison camps, the guards would give the Native American prisoners pencil and paper from discarded ledger books, for which to occupy their time. Most often, the Native American prisoners would draw images of battles and events from memories of their past. These images had previously been painted on medium such as buffalo hides, teepees and leggings, but after the buffalo herds neared extinction, the artform was transferred to paper. Initially created between 1860-1920, ledger art faded as an artform, but subsequently made a comeback in the 1960s. Thanks to a small number of traditionally dedicated Native Americans, ledger art is once again a flourishing and vibrant artform.

Good

19.5 x 23.5 in