Allan Houser Painting "A Successful Raid" Mural (1950) by IACBIndian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache, 1914-1994)
Allan Houser is considered one of the most influential Native American artists of the 20th century. Allan Capron Haozous was born near Apache, OK in 1914. His parents were among the Chiricahua Apache imprisoned by the U.S. Government at Fort Sill, OK. While today he is best known for his sculptures, Houser's art career began in painting.
From 1934-38 Houser received instruction in painting from Dorothy Dunn at The Studio of the Santa Fe Indian School, NM. In 1938 and 1939 he was commissioned to create murals for the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. Houser received his first sculpture commission in 1948.
A Successful Raid (1950) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Mural: A Successful Raid
In 1950 Houser was commissioned to paint a mural and design four dioramas to be featured in the Southern Plains Indian Museum in Anadarko, OK. Houser experimented with new styles and materials, creating many things which had never been seen before.
A Successful Raid is one of only a handful of murals painted by Houser. This mural depicts Arapaho warriors stealing horses from Ute warriors. Houser’s works include depictions not only of his Chiricahua Apache heritage, but of other Tribes as well.
Moving Camp (1950) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Diorama: Moving Camp
After acquiring horses in the mid-1700s, Cheyennes adapted to a mobile lifestyle. They mostly gave up farming and followed the migration of buffalo herds. This diorama depicts Cheyennes preparing to move camp.
Women were responsible for breaking camp and packing the travois. The dog travois is much smaller and carried much lighter loads than the horse travois. Horses made moving much easier because they could carry a heavy load.
Horse Stealing (1950) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Diorama: Horse Stealing
Raiding and capturing enemy horses was a tactic of inter-tribal warfare and was considered an honorable way for a young man to prove his abilities in stealth and courage.
This diorama depicts a Kiowa man stealing horses from a Ute camp. Horse ownership brought wealth, as well as personal and family prestige.
Buffalo Hunt (1950) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Diorama: Buffalo Hunt
Buffalo provided food, clothing, shelter, and tools for Plains Indians. This diorama depicts a buffalo hunt by Comanche warriors. Hunting buffalo with bow and arrows required much skill on the part of the rider and his horse.
Bison were hunted on highly trained horses with the riders charging into the herd to make individual kills. The subjects of buffalo and buffalo hunts are repeated throughout Houser’s artwork.
Vision Seeking (1950) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Diorama: Vision Seeking
Ceremonies have been important to Plains Indian life in the past and continue to be in the present. This Diorama depicts a Cheyenne vision quest.
Buffalo Hunt (1952) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Painting
While studying under Dorothy Dunn at The Studio, Houser was instructed to paint in flat-style. Finding this restrictive, he soon explored new styles and media for painting. Houser started painting with tempera, then moved to watercolor and gouache, and later to casein and acrylic.
While experimentation was constant in Houser’s work, many themes reappear throughout his career, such as warriors on horseback, Apache Fire Dancers, and mother and child.
Apache Fire Dancer (1961) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Painting: Apache Fire Dancer
The Fire Dancer seen here is a central figure in Apache history and culture. The Fire Dance (also known as the Ghan Dance, Mountain Spirit Dance, or Crown Dance) tells the story of the emergence of the Apache people and their place in the world.
Inspired by his father’s stories and watching the ceremonial Apache dances, the Apache Fire Dancers would remain a subject throughout Houser’s life in multiple mediums and interpretations.
Allan Houser at Sculpture Exhibition (1971) by IACBIndian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Sculpture
Although he had no formal training as a sculptor, Houser received his first sculpture commission in 1948 for a marble war memorial from the U.S. Department of the Interior for the Haskell Institute, Lawrence, KS. He began exhibiting his sculptures by the late 1960s.
Apache Girl with Cat (1966) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Sculpture: Apache Girl with Cat
Houser first carved sculptures from wood in the early 1940s, while later works often appear in stone or cast in bronze. Houser portrayed women frequently in his work, expressing an admiration for women and the sense of place or home they provide.
Apache Mother (1971) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Sculpture: Apache Mother
A major recurring theme in much of Houser’s work is the image of mother and child. In Apache Mother, Houser depicts the connection and deep love between a mother and child. Houser used a variety of stones for his sculptures, such as marble, limestone, or alabaster.
Plains Indian (1971) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Sculpture: Plains Indian
In the late 1960s and 1970s Houser made a series of sculptures, first in wire and steel, then in bronze, which utilized negative space. This Plains Indian sculpture features wire with melted metal and hammered steel.
Herding Goats (1971) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Sculpture: Herding Goats
Houser cast his first bronzes in 1967. This bronze sculpture depicts a Navajo (Diné) woman herding goats. Women had primary ownership and responsibility of herding sheep and goats.
Morning Song (1971) by Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Sculpture: Morning Song
In describing Morning Song, Houser stated: “I did a piece in bronze called Morning Song. An older couple has danced the Apache Back and Forth, a social dance, most of the night. Now they sit and listen as the singers sing the morning song around the drums and the sun comes up. They’re tired; they’re in repose.”
Allan Houser with Anna Marie and Blossom at Sculpture Exhibition (1971) by IACBIndian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Houser taught at the Intermountain School in Bringham City, UT, 1951-62, and the Institute of American Indian Arts at Santa Fe, NM, 1962-75, where he inspired a new generation of Native American artists. In 1975 he retired from teaching to focus on his art. His legacy lives on through his artwork and the thousands of students he influenced.
Allan Houser quoted in Jane B. Katz, ed. This Song Remembers: Self Portraits of Native Americans in the Arts, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980, 107.
Barbara H. Perlman, Allan Houser, Santa Fe: Glenn Green Galleries, 1992.
“Biography.” Accessed February 7, 2022. https://allanhouser.com/the-man.
"Celebrating Allan Houser: An Oklahoma Perspective." Oklahoma Museums Association, 2013-2014.
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