Editorial View
The Gallery's Perspective
There’s an immediate sense of story-telling energy in these panels—small, lively scenes that feel like snapshots from a long narrative. Rendered on aged ledger paper, the drawings combine crisp, animated figures and horses with the faded ruled lines and marginal notes of old account books, which gives the work a warm, storied presence. You’ll notice the brisk, sideways motion of mounted riders, the bright, flattened colors of blankets and regalia, and the careful little marks that suggest movement and direction; all of that makes the episodes feel both urgent and intimate. Because the compositions are economical and sequential, the eye reads them like a short illustrated tale—characters, clash, and escape—without needing elaborate detail. The historic ledger surface and the compact format create a meeting of past and present: it reads like ledger art handed forward as a modern graphic narrative, quietly insisting on memory, action, and survival. As a set, these prints carry personality and narrative warmth that reward a close look and invite conversation.
The Artwork
About The Legend of Crow Butte Limited Edition
The Legend of Crow Butte<br> LIMITED EDITION PRINT
Long Soldier’s delightful animated drawings are a retelling of a Crow and Sioux story known as The Legend of Crow Butte. It’s more “story” than “history” as there are several versions, from both the Native and whites (including one version from Nebraska pioneer memoirs and another account in The New York Times from May 11, 1890 that purports to be the true story as told by surviving Natives to one Judge E.S. Nesbitt). Most versions appear in agreement that there was a band of Crow warriors from reservations in Montana and Northern Wyoming that invaded the Sioux Reservation land, generally wrecked havoc.
In artist Long Soldier’s telling, in October of 1849, James Bordeaux, of Bordeaux Trading Post, hired Sioux warriors to recover 47 horses and 35 mules recently stolen by the marauding Crow. The Sioux chased the Crow back toward the Pine Ridge area where the Crow split into several groups. Most disappeared but one Crow group ran up a butte, blocking the trail behind them but discovered too late that they were trapped at the top with a sheer cliff straight down. After three days the Crow band made ropes from their blankets and let themselves down the side of the butte, stole the Sioux horses and escaped.
Painted on ledger paper from the 19th century, artist Long Soldier’s series both heralds back to 19th century Native American “ledger art” (paintings on sheets from traders ledger books) and also presents as a kind of 21st century Native graphic novel as the story is told with pictures and brief captions.
Framed in a series this Fine Art Print set will create a unique, affordable, historic and decorative statement.
In artist Long Soldier’s telling, in October of 1849, James Bordeaux, of Bordeaux Trading Post, hired Sioux warriors to recover 47 horses and 35 mules recently stolen by the marauding Crow. The Sioux chased the Crow back toward the Pine Ridge area where the Crow split into several groups. Most disappeared but one Crow group ran up a butte, blocking the trail behind them but discovered too late that they were trapped at the top with a sheer cliff straight down. After three days the Crow band made ropes from their blankets and let themselves down the side of the butte, stole the Sioux horses and escaped.
Painted on ledger paper from the 19th century, artist Long Soldier’s series both heralds back to 19th century Native American “ledger art” (paintings on sheets from traders ledger books) and also presents as a kind of 21st century Native graphic novel as the story is told with pictures and brief captions.
Framed in a series this Fine Art Print set will create a unique, affordable, historic and decorative statement.
Collector Details
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About the Collection
Daniel Long Soldier is a self-taught Native American artist from the Oglala Lakota tribe, celebrated for his ledger art and acrylic paintings that vividly depict Plains Indian culture and spirituality. His work serves as a visual narrative, conveying the traditions and stories of the Lakota people through traditional Sioux imagery. Long Soldier's art has been exhibited across the United States and internationally, reflecting his deep commitment to preserving and sharing his heritage.
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This piece is artist signed and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
Image Rights
Image copyright © 2026 by Daniel Long Soldier.
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Limited-edition artwork includes a Certificate of Authenticity when one is issued by the artist, publisher, studio, or authorized source. Open-edition pieces may not include a certificate; this does not affect their authenticity. The Collection Shop sources artwork through artists, publishers, authorized distributors, galleries, and other approved channels. Any additional documentation included with this specific piece will be noted above.
"There are a lot of people," begins Daniel Long Soldier, "who don t know the history of our people as we know it. They have only heard one side of a story or what they have seen in Hollywood movies. The stories I m telling I ve heard from people who are 80 or 90 years old and heard these stories from their parents. These are the stories my grandpa, my uncles and my dad told me."
Daniel is an Oglala Lakota Sioux born on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He first began drawing with sticks on the sandbanks of a local creek. Recently he found that the drawings he made on the walls of the house he grew up in as a child are still there. This self-taught artist worked as an illustrator during the 1960s for the Dayton Journal News, but returned to Pine Ridge during the turbulent 1970s.
Long Soldier started painting what he calls Lakota Wicitowa (Lakota Paintings) in the mid-80s because he liked the authenticity and simplicity they lent to the story they told. Even then he would only paint them for special occasions such as buffalo robes he created for the Omaha in Macy NE and the Santee Sioux.
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