Native American Delegations, Diplomacy, and Protests at the White House: Hayne Hudjihini & Chief Sumonyeacathee
Gallery
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Pictured is the portrait of Hayne Hudjihini. The Bureau of Indian Affairs commissioned Charles Bird King to paint a series of over 100 portraits of Native American leaders who visited the White House beginning with the presidency of James Monroe. In 1865, a fire destroyed almost all of King’s portraits. Five portraits are now housed in the White House collection, which are drawn from King’s personal replicas of the original portraits.
White House Collection/White House Historical Association -
Pictured is the portrait of Hayne Hudjihini's husband, Chief Sumonyeacathee. The Bureau of Indian Affairs commissioned Charles Bird King to paint a series of over 100 portraits of Native American leaders who visited the White House beginning with the presidency of James Monroe. In 1865, a fire destroyed almost all of King’s portraits. Five portraits are now housed in the White House collection, which are drawn from King’s personal replicas of the original portraits.
White House Collection/White House Historical Association
About this Gallery
Thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans, the formation of the United States, and construction of the White House, Native peoples such as the Piscataway and Nacostines lived and prospered in the region of what is now Washington, D.C. As more colonists descended upon the area, they seized lands from Native Americans—including the land between the Potomac River and Eastern Branch, which later became the capital of the United States. For over two centuries and during almost every presidential administration, Native American delegates visited the White House to advocate and preserve tribal sovereignty, oppose land cessions, negotiate wartime alliances, protect cultural rights and resources, and demand that the federal government adhere to the terms of its treaty agreements. The makings of Native American diplomacy and federal policy ultimately took shape at the White House, on land taken from Indigenous peoples. Read the full article here.