Brummett Echohawk was a war hero, an artist, a writer, and a public speaker, and he was also a member of the Pawnee tribe, born in Oklahoma in 1922. Though he is well known for his contributions to the art world, he is less known for his contributions to the history of illustration and commercial art, he turned to these outlets throughout his life to successfully augment his income. Brummett Echohawk considered himself a historical or classical artist, rather than an “Indian” artist, though his work often centered on his indigenatity. His first notoriety as an artist was for his war sketches from his time in Italy in World War II. Though these sketches were initially confiscated, they were later (mostly) returned and published in newspapers across the U.S. The success of his sketches cemented his interest in becoming an artist, and he made it his goal to attend the Chicago Institute of Art for formal instruction at what he believed to be the best art school in the nation. Though he lived in Chicago, New York, Detroit, and Dallas, he ultimately returned to Oklahoma. He refused to compromise his values and, therefore, painted only what he wanted to paint; he also spent a lot of time researching the historical themes for his paintings, which slowed down his production. These factors likely made it more necessary for him to supplement his income through the development of his comic strip “Little Chief,” which ran in the Tulsa World Newspaper beginning in 1954, as well as numerous illustrations for magazine and book publications as well as working as a commercial artist throughout his career.

TIMELINE

1829 - Te-ah-ke-kah-wah Who-re-ke-coo (He Makes His Enemies Ashamed), Brummett Echohawk’s Great-Grandfather is born in Nebraska, the traditional homeland of the Pawnee

1855 - Kutawakutsu Tuwaku-ah (Echo Hawk), Brummett Echohawk’s Grandfather is born in Nebraska 

1864 - Te-ah-ke-kah-wah Who-re-ke-coo, serves with the first company of Pawnee Scouts

1876 - Kutawakutsu Tuwaku-ah, then known as Tawihisi (Leader of the Group) signs on with the Pawnee Scouts, he earns the name Kutawakutsu Tuwaku-ah (Echo Hawk) as part of his efforts as a warrior during this time

1892 - Elmer Echohawk, Brummett Echohawk’s father, is born in Indian Territory

1907 - Elmer Echohawk, is sent by his parents to the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania 

1922 - Brummett Echohawk Born,  March 3, Pawnee Oklahoma

1939 - Brummett Echohawk joins the National Guard

1943-1944 - Serves in WWII, 45th Infantry Division (known as the Thunderbirds) 

1945-1948 - Attends Chicago Institute of Art, (education not funded by the GI Bill!)

1954 - Creates Comic strip “Little Chief”, for the Tulsa World 

1955 - Juror of the Tenth Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Indian Painting at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa

1969 -  Battlefield sketches included in the Faces of War exhibition at London’s Imperial War Museum

1977 - Brummett Echohawk began services as a member of the board at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa

1983 - Brummett Echohawk awarded the “Unknown Indian Award” by the Committee for the Preservation of the Unknown Indian, North Platte, Nebraska

1994 - actor featured in one episode of the television series Walker Texas Ranger

2001 - Cartoons from Little Chief were featured in “Little Chief the Comic Art of Brummett Echohawk,” an exhibition at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington 

2006  -  Brummett Echohawk Dies, February 13, buried in Pawnee, Oklahoma

2008 - - Cartoons from Little Chief were featured in “Out Of: Sequence: Underrepresented Voice in American Comics,”  an exhibition at the University of Illinois Krannert Art Museum

REFERENCES

Brummett Echohawk - Gilcrease Museum. (n.d.). https://collections.gilcrease.org/creator/brummett-echohawk

Brummett Echohawk: An Artist’s Journey - Oklahoma State University. (2023, April 14). https://museum.okstate.edu/art/brummett-echohawk.html

Echohawk, B., & Ellenbarger, M. R. (2018). Drawing fire: A Pawnee, Artist, and Thunderbird in World War II. University Press of Kansas.

Culture - Pawnee Nation flag and seal. (n.d.). Pawnee Nation. https://pawneenation.org/pawnee-nation-flag-and-seal/

Gilcrease Museum. (2023, March 2). Joel Echohawk Reminisces about Brummett Echohawk [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u1HgSCHI2Q

Jones, R. (n.d.). OSU students present exhibition on Brummett Echohawk. Stillwater News Press. https://www.stwnewspress.com/news/osu-students-present-exhibition-on-brummett-echohawk/article_3b940cb6-ef84-11ed-b2fd-2796481b6b6b.html

OSU Museum of Art. (2023, May 18). Student Curator Talk - “Brummett Echohawk: An Artist’s Journey” [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6mWGFQEzm4

Wydeven, J., & Klaphake, C. (1984). Art and Eloquence. Nebraskaland, 62(1), 104–111.

Youngbull, K. M. (2015). Brummett Echohawk: Pawnee Thunderbird and Artist. University of Oklahoma Press.