Post by Charnell
1938 prairie dog, Courtesy of Arizona State Museum, Francis H. Elmore Collection
I grew up in a family with no boys in my generation, so my sister and I had to carry on family traditions. Hunting was one of them and, as the older girl, I was allowed to join my dad and uncles on their quest for small game as soon as I was mature enough to handle firearms. (To this day, I still treasure the single-shot 22 short Winchester rifle that I got for Christmas in the eighth grade, although I now shoot only with a camera.)
There were glorious, adventuresome days where just my dad and I would scout squirrels through colorful fall leaves and track rabbits in the snow. I learned to climb a fence without falling or making a big commotion.
Often distracted by the breathtaking beauty of nature, I eventually learned how to spot tomorrow’s dinner in its native habitat and how to wait patiently and quietly until I could get a good shot. (Note from Vera: in my childhood walking quietly in the woods was referred to as “walking like an Indian.”)
I learned how to skin and cook the game, because with money scarce after World War II, hunting was more than a sport to our family. It helped keep fresh food on the table.
As a girl, I wondered how the American Indians hunted big game in olden times, for surely it was more complicated than what I was experiencing. Much later, my curiosity was satisfied through Quincy Tahoma’s paintings.
1938 unnamed hunting expedition painted while Tahoma was in high school. Courtesy of Arizona State University Museum, Francis H. Elmore Collection
The Navajo artist’s paintings illustrate how his people’s hunting techniques developed over time. In the early days, braves tracked game on foot. Moving slowly, watching and waiting, they often wore the skins of dead animals such as deer and wolves to get close enough to prey for a good shot with a bow and arrows. (I suspect it would have been pretty difficult to down a buffalo that way.)
But after the introduction of horses, American Indians could hunt buffalo on horseback using knives and spears.
Then, eventually and inevitably, the rifle became the weapon of choice. 18th century bison population in North American was estimated to have been between twenty-five and seventy million, but the seemingly inexhaustible supply of bison began to dwindle in the 1800s.
1941 Summer Salary, Courtesy of Jan Musial
By the time that Quincy Tahoma created his famous buffalo hunt scenes beginning in the late 1930s, there were few buffalo left roaming the range. Although he had never seen such buffalo hunts, Tahoma believed that these images of the past were stored in his mind, ready to reproduce. When asked where he learned about the prehistoric costumes and the hunting weapons and methods unknown to today’s generation of Indians, Tahoma explained simply, ‘It is in my head.”
Do you agree that Tahoma had images of the past, long before he was born, stored in his mind? Have you experienced such mental images that seem to be part of your heritage?
(Note from Vera: According to Tahoma’s friend, Ramos Sanchez, Tahoma loved to hunt, but was limited to shooting small animals like rabbits. His friends thought it was funny that he wanted to hunt deer. Little did they know that he probably imagined himself hunting buffalo.)
