Red Fox James and the Establishment of Native American Heritage Month. RED FOX JAMES. Drawing on linen handkerchief by Red Fox James, c.1917. Drawing in pen, with a central eagle clasping an American flag and shield in its talons, the shield reading 'The Crow Indian Montana,' surrounded by three eagle heads and hovering over a harpoon, with a drawing and 'The American Indian' in one corner, and INSCRIBED BY RED FOX JAMES in the opposite corner: 'Pen Work by F. Red Fox James Western Range Rider and Souvenir of Sitting Eagle, Crow Indian and Cowboy. Indian Crow Reserve Montana.' Matted and framed with a note from Edythe Lenore Varner Hammer, and with a sample letter sent to a sitting U.S. Governor from Hammer (unexamined out of frame). Provenance: Edythe Lenore Varner Hammer (recipient, note framed with the handkerchief, 'Red Fox gave this to me for writing letters for him to all the governor's [sic] of the United States'); thence by descent (see letter of provenance, March 2026). Prior to Congress's 1990 legislation finally officially declaring November as Native American Heritage Month, there was Red Fox James. For nearly one hundred years prior to the passing of the 1990 legislation, numerous people advocated for the establishment of a similar honor, writing letters to the governors of the states and other elected officials. One of the earliest proponents was anthropologist and historian Dr. Arthur Caswell Parker, who convinced the Boy Scouts of America to designate a day for so-called 'First Americans' from 1912 to 1915. One of the most visible early advocates was Red Fox James. In March 1915, Red Fox James, a Blackfeet living in Montana, embarked on a 4,000-mile journey on horseback Washington D.C. to deliver formal endorsements from 24 governors in support of the establishment of what was then called American Indian Day. He traveled along the Lincoln Highway, occasionally walking to help preserve his horse's energy, and he befriended Boy Scouts along his route. On his arrival in Washington on December 17, eight members of Boy Scout Troop 36 accompanied him to the White House, where he met President Woodrow Wilson and delivered his letters up support. Also in 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association met in Lawrence Kansas, where they formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. Its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, declared the second Saturday of May as American Indian Day, and also issued an appeal for the recognition of American Indian people as American citizens (a recognition they would not receive until 1924). Although several states, including New York and Illinois, declared their own American Indian day, the United States did not adopt their resolution until 1990, under President George H. W. Bush. In 2011, President Barack Obama issued his own proclamation: 'From the Aleutian Islands to the Florida Everglades, American Indians and Alaska Natives have contributed immensely to our country's heritage. During National Native American Heritage Month, we commemorate their enduring achievements and reaffirm the vital role American Indians and Alaska Natives play in enriching the character of our Nation.' Starting in 1913, and continuing until her marriage in 1920, Edythe Lenore Varner Hammer (1900-1988) of Oil City, Pennsylvania sent handwritten letters to U.S. governors requesting the establishment of American Indian Day. She sent hundreds of letters in support of the cause, catching the attention of Red Fox James. After his 1915 horseback journey to Washington, he remained in the greater Washington and Pennsylvania areas, founding the first Native American Boy Scout Troop, and working with Florence Harding on the passage of the 19th amendment. On his journey back to Montana in 1917, he stopped at Edythe Lenore Varner Hammer's family farm in Salix, Pennsylvania where he stayed for one week. The present pen drawing on linen by Red Fox James is one of only three known to exist -- the present example, an example on permanent display at the Indian Steps Museum in Airville Pennsylvania, and a third at the Lincoln Nebraska Capital Building, which was presented by Red Fox James as a gift to then-Governor Moorehead in 1914. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing