Muscogee Creek
The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsSeminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...
), (February 13, 1940 – August 5, 2015) was a Native American artist from
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
.Lester, 557
Background
Johnny Moore Tiger Jr. was born on February 13, 1940, in
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah ( ; , ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-century Cherokee Nation in 1839, as p ...
. His parents were Lucinda Lou Lewis and the John M. Tiger. His younger brother, the late Jerome Tiger, was a celebrated artist.Hunt, David C "Tiger, Jerome Richard (1941–1967). ''Oklahoma History Center's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Retrieved August 12, 2015. As a child, he traveled with his grandfather Rev. Coleman Lewis, a well known Baptist missionary within the
Muscogee Creek Nation
The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the Southe ...
. While traveling, Coleman taught his grandson the history and cosmology of their people in the
Mvskoke
The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsDana Tiger.
He attended Chilocco Indian School and graduated from Muskogee Central High School in 1958. After graduation, he served in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
.
Art career
As a young man Tiger loved
pin striping
Pin striping (or pinstriping) is the application of a very thin line of paint or other material called a pin stripe, and is generally used for decoration. Freehand pin stripers use a specialty brush known as a pinstriping brush.
Automotive, bi ...
hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and ma ...
s but moved towards fine arts. His paintings illustrated the
oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from
people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...
of his tribes, and he painted scenes such as a tribal gathering,
stomp dance
The stomp dance is performed by various Eastern Woodland tribes and Native American communities in the United States, including the Muscogee, Yuchi, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Delaware, Miami, Caddo, Tuscarora, Ottawa, Quapaw, Peoria, Shaw ...
s, or medicine men healing the sick, based on his own experiences.
In 1959, he enrolled at
Bacone College
Bacone College, formerly Bacone Indian University, is a private college in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Founded in 1880 as the Indian University by missionary Almon C. Bacone, it was originally affiliated with the mission arm of what is now American Bapt ...
in
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee () is the 13th-largest city in Oklahoma and is the county seat of Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of ...
, to study art under the legendary
Southern Cheyenne
The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes are a united, federally recognized tribe of Southern Arapaho and Southern Cheyenne people in western Oklahoma.
History
The Cheyennes and Arapahos are two distinct tribes with distinct histories. The Cheyenne (Ts ...
Joan Hill
Joan Hill (December 19, 1930 – June 16, 2020), also known as Che-se-quah, was a Muscogee Creek artist of Cherokee ancestry. She was one of the most awarded Native American women artists in the 20th century.
Personal
Joan Hill was born in Musk ...
. After winning numerous major art awards by the late 1970s, he became a full-time artist. The
Five Civilized Tribes Museum
The Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee, Oklahoma, showcases the art, history, and culture of the so-called "Five Civilized Tribes": the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole tribes. Housed in the historic Union Indi ...
declared Johnny a Master Artist in 1982.
Tiger was also a well-known sculptor. He received many major awards and produced several bronze pieces.
Death
Johnny Tiger Jr. died on August 5, 2015. Funeral services were held at the First Baptist Church in
Eufaula, Oklahoma
Eufaula is a city in and the county seat of McIntosh County, Oklahoma, McIntosh County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,813 at the 2010 census, an increase of 6.6 percent from 2,639 in 2000. Eufaula is in the southern part of the co ...
, and he was interred at the Greenwood Cemetery in Eufaula.
* Lester, Patrick D. ''The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995. .
* Wyckoff, Lydia L., ed. ''Visions and Voices: Native American Painting from the Philbrook Museum of Art''. Tulsa, OK: Philbrook Museum of Art, 1996. .