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Jones

J. E. Jones Photographic Album

J.E. Jones Photographic Album, circa 1904
Photographic album
0.2 cubic feet (1 flat box)
Location: 0316
Collection #: 068
Accession #: 2004.165

Introduction

Photographic album with 45 photographs by J. E. Jones, whose images document the Sioux Indians at the Cheyenne River Agency in South Dakota, the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Indians at the Fort Belknap Agency in Montana, and the Western Apache Indians at the San Carlos Agency in Arizona. The photographs show both the natural and built landscape of the agencies, but the primary focus of the collection is the lifeways and material culture of Apache, Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, and Sioux Indians. Collection highlights include a group of 10 images taken during a July 4th celebration, showing a variety of Indian dances including the Assiniboine Fool Society dance, a group portrait of 16 Apache police officers, and many individual and group portraits of persons from the Apache, Assiniboine, and Gros Ventre tribes dressed in traditional clothing.

Biography

John Edward Jones, son of John Wesley Jones (1824-1881) and Nancy Ann Bennett (1829-1879) was born in Clark County, IL in November 1863. He moved to Labette County, KS with his family in March, 1873. By 1899 he was teaching at the Colorado River Reservation in Arizona. He married Marie Frances Wilda in 1904 and they had one daughter and two sons. He died in 1922 in McKinley, OK.

Scope & Content Note

The album consists of 45 silver gelatin prints, 44 of which are 5 x 7 inch prints and one 5 x 3.5 inch print. The first photograph is a portrait of Jones, who also appears in several other scenes. Ten photographs depict agency buildings, landscapes, and other agency scenes, while the remaining thirty-four document the lifeways and material culture of the Sioux, Western Apache, Assiniboine, and Gros Ventre or Astina Indian tribes. The photographs were taken in the field at the Cheyenne River, San Carlos, and Fort Belknap Indian agencies.

A highlight of the album are the ten photographs taken during a July 4th celebration held at the agency. Two photographs are especially significant. First, is an extremely rare view of the Assiniboine Fool Society dance, in which hooded members of the Fool Society (a men’s society) speak backwards in imitation of Inktomi the trickster, butcher a buffalo or cow, and spray blood and bits of meat on those in attendance. The image shows ten hooded Fool Society members standing in a group. Second, is a photograph taken inside the medicine dance tent showing painted participants behind a screen of boughs.

Notes to Researchers
Inside the front cover of the album is a signed portrait photograph of J. E. Jones; he also appears in one other collection image. Each album page has a typed paper label identifying the photograph on that page. In the container list, where Jones uses the word “squaw” in his original labels the words “woman” or “female” have been substituted. Photographs are cataloged in the image database along with a digital reproduction.

At some point Mr. Jones gave 29 photographs taken at the San Carlos Apache Agency to anthropologist Pliny E. Goddard. These photographs may be related to the San Carlos images in this collection. The Goddard photographs are in the collection of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology.

Subject Terms

Personal Names:
Enemy Boy
Jones, J. E.
Rustler, George
Tall Youth, Mrs.

Corporate Names:
United States-Office of Indian Affairs-Cheyenne Agency
United States-Office of Indian Affairs-Fort Belknap Agency
United States-Office of Indian Affairs-San Carlos Agency

Subject Headings:
Apache Indians-Gambling
Apache Indians-Jewelry
Apache Indians-Music
Assiniboine Indians-Montana
Assiniboine Indians-Rites and ceremonies
Atsina Indians-Montana
Atsina Indians-Rites and ceremonies
Cemeteries-Montana-Fort Belknap Agency
Cradleboards
Dams-Montana
Deserts-Arizona
Group portraits
Headgear
Indian baskets
Indian blankets
Indian dance
Indian reservation police-Arizona
Indian reservation police-Montana
Indians of North America-Clothing
Pack animals
Photographers-West (U.S.)
Photographs
Portrait photographs
Remington pistols
Siouan Indians-South Dakota
Tipis
United States-Flags
Western Apache Indians-Arizona
Wickiups

Processing Information

The album was purchased in July 2004.

Preferred Citation

J.E. Jones Photographic Album, Box ##, Folder ##, Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Container List

Series 1: J.E. Jones

ca. 1904
Accession # Title/Description
2004.165.01 J. E. Jones [Portrait of J. E. Jones], ca. 1904

Series 2: Cheyenne River Agency, South Dakota

ca. 1904
Accession # Title/Description
2004.165.02 Cheyenne River Agency, S. Dak., ca. 1904
2004.165.03 Sioux Indians waiting for rations, Cheyenne River Agency, ca. 1904

Series 3: San Carlos Agency, Arizona

ca. 1904
Accession # Title/Description
San Carlos Agency
2004.165.04 San Carlos Agency, Arizona, ca. 1904
2004.165.05 Prospector’s outfit, San Carlos, ca. 1904
2004.165.06 Cactus; San Carlos, Arizona; J. E. Jones standing at base, ca. 1904
2004.165.07 Gila River, San Carlos, ca. 1904
2004.165.08 Apache camp, San Carlos, ca. 1904
2004.165.09 Apache home, San Carlos [Wickiup], ca. 1904
Portraits
2004.165.10 Apache Indians [Two Apache women and a boy in front of wickiup], ca. 1904
2004.165.11 Apache [woman] [Young Apache woman, dress, shawl, silver jewelry, facial painting], ca. 1904
2004.165.12 Apache [woman] and baby [Apache woman with baby in Apache cradleboard], ca. 1904
2004.165.13 Apache [women] [Two Apache women, fancy dresses, shawls, jewelry, playing cards], ca. 1904
2004.165.14 Apache [women] [Two Apache women in dresses in front of wickiup], ca. 1904
2004.165.15 Apache [woman] [Apache woman, dress, shawl, silver jewelry, facial painting], ca. 1904
2004.165.16 Apache [women] [Six Apache women of various ages, dresses and shawls], ca. 1904
2004.165.17 Apache home scene [Apache family group, one-bow Apache fiddle, woven baskets], ca. 1904
2004.165.18 Apache Indians [Group of Apache Indians gambling, Model 1890 Remington Single-Action Army revolvers], ca. 1904
2004.165.19 Apache police [16 Apache police officers pose in front of the jail, badges, Springfield rifles], ca. 1904

Series 4: Fort Belknap Agency, Montana

ca. 1904
Accession # Title/Description
Fort Belknap Agency
2004.165.20 Fort Belknap Agency, Montana [Agency buildings in winter], ca. 1904
2004.165.21 Branding cattle, Fort Belknap [Horses, corrals, tipis, agency buildings], ca. 1904
2004.165.22 Dam across Milk River near agency, Fort Belknap, ca. 1904
2004.165.23 Peoples Creek Canyon, Fort Belknap reservation, ca. 1904
2004.165.24 Government sawmill, Fort Belknap reservation, ca. 1904
2004.165.25 St. Paul’s Mission, Fort Belknap reservation, ca. 1904
July 4th Celebration
2004.165.26 1200 Indians in camp to celebrate 4th of July [Tipis], ca. 1904
2004.165.27 Grosventre Camp [Four Gros Ventre Indians, including one policeman, in front of tipi], ca. 1904
2004.165.28 Assiniboin Indians [Assiniboine Indian medicine dance tent with American flags], ca. 1904
2004.165.29 Assiniboin [women’s] dance [Assiniboine women dance in circle in front of large tent], ca. 1904
2004.165.30 Assiniboin & Grosventre star dance, Fort Belknap [Large dance group, American flags], ca. 1904
2004.165.31 Grosventre Braves’ dance, Fort Belknap [Gros Ventre men dance, others sit on ground], ca. 1904
2004.165.32 Assiniboin [female] dance, Fort Belknap [Assiniboine women dance in circle, headdresses], ca. 1904
2004.165.33 Assiniboin Indians ready for the dance, Fort Belknap [Assiniboine men seated in a row, knee bells], ca. 1904
2004.165.34 Assiniboin Fools’ dance, Fort Belknap [Masked Assiniboine Fool Society dancers], ca. 1904
2004.165.35 Assiniboin Medicine dance, Fort Belknap [Tent interior with dancers and observers], ca. 1904
Portraits
2004.165.36 Grosventre Indians, Catholic communicants, Fort Belknap [Group portrait of Gros Ventre Indians], ca. 1904
2004.165.37 Assiniboin Indians, Fort Belknap [Assiniboine family in traditional clothing in front of tipi], ca. 1904
2004.165.38 Grosventre Indian, Fort Belknap [Elderly Gros Ventre man with walking staff], ca. 1904
2004.165.39 Assiniboin Indians, Fort Belknap [Assiniboine man & woman in traditional clothing], ca. 1904
2004.165.40 Assiniboin Indians, Fort Belknap [Two Assiniboine men in traditional clothing, Winchester rifles, headdresses], ca. 1904
2004.165.41 Enemy Boy, Assiniboin, Fort Belknap [Assiniboine man in traditional clothing, Winchester rifle], ca. 1904
2004.165.42 Mrs. Tall Youth, Assiniboin, Fort Belknap [Assiniboine woman in traditional clothing], ca. 1904
2004.165.43 George Rustler, Assiniboin, Fort Belknap [Assiniboine man, flag, peace pipe, feather fan, badge], ca. 1904
Cemeteries
2004.165.44 Grosventre cemetery, Fort Belknap reservation [Tree interment, young Gros Ventre boy], ca. 1904
2004.165.45 Assiniboin cemetery, Fort Belknap reservation [Aboveground burials with skulls and bones], ca. 1904

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