Chief Washakie
- Bronze
- Guadalupe Barajas
“Chief Washakie” is a part of the Capitol Avenue Bronze public art collection . . donated to the City of Cheyenne by private individuals, organizations or companies. For more information about the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project, visit Deselms Fine Art at https://deselmsfineart.com
Chief Washakie, (1804-1900) is the most celebrated ancestral leader of the Shoshone tribe. He was born in Montana, the son of an Umatilla father and Shoshone mother. Chief Washakie left the Umatilla while an adolescent to join his mother’s tribe. By the 1840s he was chief of the Eastern Band (sometimes called Washakie’s Band) of the Wyoming Shoshone.
Chief Washakie exhibited tremendous prowess as a warrior against his people’s tribal enemies and in his later life performed acts of friendship for settlers coming to the American West. He had many years of experience dealing with the United States Army and other federal agencies concerned with the affairs of native Americans. At times, he had to make difficult decisions to ensure the survival of his people. In the 1868 Treaty of Fort Bridger, Chief Washakie secured the establishment of a three-million-acre reservation for his people, including the fertile Wind River valley, the choicest part of the Shoshone’s ancestral homeland. His descendants remain as a significant part of Wyoming history.
The bronze honoring Chief Washakie was created by artist and sculptor Guadalupe Barajas, a native of Wyoming, who received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During his educational career, Barajas specialized in three-dimensional design. Following graduation, Barajas pursued a career in teaching and, upon his retirement in 1994, returned to Wyoming to become a full-time bronze sculptor. Today his work is primarily focused on his Native American heritage.
The bronze was commissioned by St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. According to the rector, the Reverend Rick Veit, Chief Washakie converted to the Episcopalian faith near the end of his life after becoming close friends with Episcopal priest, the Reverend John Roberts. Reverend Veit worked with Washakie’s descendants from the Wind River Reservation to send multiple photographs of Chief Washakie that became the model for the piece. The sculpture includes a representation of a beaded sash that was draped across Chief Washakie’s shoulders at the time the photograph was taken. The pattern of the beading on the sash contains repeating crosses, which were symbols often used by Native American tribes.
In designing the bronze, Barajas “envisioned him alone, contemplating the winds of change that were descending upon his people. Changes, that as their leader, had to be weighing heavily on his heart because of the inevitable decisions he had to make to ensure their survival.”
To learn more about the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project, visit this link . For more information about each artist, sponsoring a bronze, or becoming a donor/supporter at any level, please contact Harvey Deselms at Deselms Fine Art, located at 303 E. 17th Street Cheyenne. Email is [email protected] or call at 307 432 0606
- Current Location: Capitol Avenue and 19th Street - Capitol Ave. & 19th St. Cheyenne, WY 82001 (google map)
- Collections: Capitol Avenue Bronzes