SLAU-EE-NEZ - TALL SCOUT - UNITED STATES ARMY INDIAN SCOUT

SLAU-EE-NEZ – TALL SCOUT – UNITED STATES ARMY INDIAN SCOUT

The life of Tall Scout (recorded in various historical documents as Slau-ee-Nez, Shau ee nez, Kla-o-na-si, or Chiz Lee) centers on his long-standing career as a highly skilled Navajo tracker, warrior, and tactical guide for the United States Army Indian Scouts. The NavaJo scouts worked with the U.S. Army from 1873 – 1895 and were used by General George Cook in finding Juh, Nana and Geronimo between 1881 and 1886. Juh (c. 1825-1883) was the famous Chiricahua Apache war leader and chief who fought alongside of Geronimo. Geronimo was married to Juh’s sister-in-law. Nana was also a Chiricahua Apaches war leader (d. 1896) who had joined Geronimo in the 1885 breakout. He died at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1896.

To facilitate the search for Geronimo thru the Geronimo Campaign (1886), the United states Army had enlisted 150 Navajo scouts, Tall Scout among them, under the direction of General Nelson A. Miles, usually for a term of six months. In 1895, Tall Scout had transitioned into the regular Army unit at which time he received the rank of Second Lieutenant, receiving his discharge papers in 1912 after having served nearly 25 years of military service. In honor of his service his discharge papers were printed on a rare silver-skin parchment.

On October 22, 1919 he was decorated by King Albert of Belgium with the Order of Leopold after Tall Scout presented a hand woven Navajo blanket and honored the King and Queen with a Navajo friendship dance.

• Tall Scout was photographed extensively between 1909 to 1920 by noted Southwest photographer J.R. Willis (1876-1960) of Gallup, New Mexico. Being a prominent early 20th century photographer he was not only recognized for his desert landscape oil paintings but also for his iconic portraits of Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo Native Americans. During the Great Depression, he was commissioned by the Public Works of Art Project to paint a historic multi-panel mural series for the Gallup High School Library. He based himself primarily out of Albuquerque and Gallup, New Mexico with an emphasis of his photography being that of historic figures such as Tall Scout and tribal life.

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The photo measures 11" x 7", frame 16-1/2" x 11-1/2" J. R. Willis Gallup, N. M. is impressed on lower left of photo. Not examined out of frame. The original chipped printed text is pasted on the backing paper. In type it reads: 

Navajo Indian, Chin Lee, Arizona, became friendly to the whites and was a scout with the U.S.Army, ranking as 2nd Lieut. for a number of years during the many Apache and Comanche [wars in the South-]west. Was honorably [discharged at Fort] Wingate, New Mexico dur[ing the Indian Wars and was] very proud of his discharge p[aper written/printed] on sheep skin parchment. Oc[tober] 1919, he presented a blanket, dancing the Navajo dance of friendship for the King and Queen of Belgium and was decorated with the Order of Leopold by King Albert. (Photo Copyrighted by J.R. Willis, Gallup, New Mexico. A second slip of paper is also glued to the backing and reads: “White georgrete Trimmed with white ostrich ____ straw hat – white satin ribbon”. Great contrast and in vg cond.

Source: UCLA Library