Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Use of the Sword by American Indian Tribes

Jim McDougall · 1st September 2022, 11:39 PM

Thank you guys, there was indeed some presence of Japanese Samurai swords with American Indian tribes in the latter 19th century, but the only real evidence are two examples, this one with Indian scout Dog Child in Alberta sometime pre 1900, the other was one one the wall of Red Cloud's house at Pine Ridge, S.D. in 1890.

I recall talking with Dr Bleed on this some years ago, and this article, and with the Red Cloud example we can only speculate but there seem to be several possibilities. In one case there were diplomats from Japan in Wyoming regions near Red Cloud's agency in 1876 but no record of contact with him. However there were eleven diplomatic ventures by Red Cloud into Washington between 1876-1890 and as Japan had been entertaining diplomatic ventures to Washington in these years (with this theme in the Charles Bronson movie "Red Sun" 1971). It seems reasonable that Red Cloud would possibly have acquired this in those visits.

Dr Bleed spent quite a few years studying in Japan, and knows the swords well, and his notes on the Red Cloud sword are interesting, in that these fittings (handachi) were important and not the sort which might be seen on trade or less than entirely authentic sword.

On the Dog Child sword, this one has more specific provenance, as it coincides with the travel to Japan by the missionary to the Blackfoot in Alberta in 1895 to marry a lady missionary there, and they returned to Fort MacCleod, in Alberta where this photo was taken. Interestingly, this sword is in tachi fittings as is the sword in the Bronson movie.

There was little, if any, possibility of Japanese Nihonto being outside Japan prior to the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, which of course virtually dismissed the Samurai. While the traditions including sword making continued in degree in more covert manner, in the following years numbers of such swords would enter trade situations but not until early 20th century. These were not the same as other European and US swords obviously, and these two known examples were clearly diplomatic.

1st September 2022, 11:39 PM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,745	Thank you guys, there was indeed some presence of Japanese Samurai swords with American Indian tribes in the latter 19th century, but the only real evidence are two examples, this one with Indian scout Dog Child in Alberta sometime pre 1900, the other was one one the wall of Red Cloud's house at Pine Ridge, S.D. in 1890. I recall talking with Dr Bleed on this some years ago, and this article, and with the Red Cloud example we can only speculate but there seem to be several possibilities. In one case there were diplomats from Japan in Wyoming regions near Red Cloud's agency in 1876 but no record of contact with him. However there were eleven diplomatic ventures by Red Cloud into Washington between 1876-1890 and as Japan had been entertaining diplomatic ventures to Washington in these years (with this theme in the Charles Bronson movie "Red Sun" 1971). It seems reasonable that Red Cloud would possibly have acquired this in those visits. Dr Bleed spent quite a few years studying in Japan, and knows the swords well, and his notes on the Red Cloud sword are interesting, in that these fittings (handachi) were important and not the sort which might be seen on trade or less than entirely authentic sword. On the Dog Child sword, this one has more specific provenance, as it coincides with the travel to Japan by the missionary to the Blackfoot in Alberta in 1895 to marry a lady missionary there, and they returned to Fort MacCleod, in Alberta where this photo was taken. Interestingly, this sword is in tachi fittings as is the sword in the Bronson movie. There was little, if any, possibility of Japanese Nihonto being outside Japan prior to the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, which of course virtually dismissed the Samurai. While the traditions including sword making continued in degree in more covert manner, in the following years numbers of such swords would enter trade situations but not until early 20th century. These were not the same as other European and US swords obviously, and these two known examples were clearly diplomatic.