Women, bison, and coup : a structural analysis of Cheyenne pictographic art /

Abstract

Cheyenne pictographic art of the 19th century was a complex medium of communication that expressed cultural perceptions and functioned to reinforce and mold social values. In addition to the explicit narrative content of pictures, implicit messages were conveyed through the underlying structure of the images. the structure of pictographic art was built upon a limited number of compositional types. Figure placement within each type was regularly patterned and reflected cultural concepts about the relationship between the figures in regard to dominance or spiritual power. By virtue of shared structure, pictures of a variety of subjects were brought into parallel and could be read as transformations of the same message. In this way metaphoric connections were established between warfare, hunting and courtship. Pictographic art was produced by warriors and evidence suggests that the counting of coup was the central metaphor that motivated the compositional structure. Analysis of the art form reveals aspects of ideology that are not as clearly expressed in other media and demonstrates that these ideological patterns were connected to social concerns of the time. The unique potential of material culture items to serve as a source of historical data is discussed and problems in establishing reliable documentation are considered.