Minimic

Southern Cheyenne chief Minimic guided his people through the relentless campaign of harassment and attrition that General Philip Sheridan (shown at left) waged against Southern Plains Indians during the brutal Red River War (1874–75). Ultimately compelled to surrender, Minimic and other leaders were imprisoned without trial at Fort Marion, Florida, while their communities were forced onto government reservations.

While at Fort Marion (1875–78), Minimic maintained peaceful relations to ensure his fellow prisoners’ survival and release. He counseled compliance with an experimental assimilation program that demanded they cut their hair, wear military uniforms, learn English, and attend Christian church services. However, the men were also encouraged to revive their Native identities when tourists visited. Shortly before returning home to his family, Minimic posed in an assortment of “Indian” clothing for James Wells Champney, who visited Fort Marion while on assignment to document the Reconstruction-era South for Scribner’s magazine.