Buffalo Hunt

In Buffalo Hunt, two Chiricahua Apache warriors on horseback chase down two running buffalo. One of the men glances backward and calls out to his fellow rider, who draws an arrow from a quiver on his back. In this competition between man and beast, artist Allan Capron Houser portrayed a frenetic scene filled with drama and tension. The mural was inspired by stories he heard from his father about the importance of the buffalo as a source of food and shelter for the Chiricahua Apache.

Located in the Indian Arts and Crafts Shop at the Department of the Interior building in Washington, D.C., Buffalo Hunt is one of two murals executed by Houser in 1938. On the opposing wall, Navajo artist Gerald Nailor painted a mural titled Deer Stalking and several symbolic designs over the doorway. Both artists trained at the Santa Fe Indian School in New Mexico and learned a style of painting characterized by flat, delicate colors and precise outlines inspired by Plains hide painting and Pueblo pottery and mural designs. This resulting “Studio Style” is evident in each mural, as is the distinctive approach taken by each artist. Houser often painted scenes with dynamic movement and included elements of humor, while Nailor frequently painted in a softer palette and infused his scenes with quiet tension. To create each composition, both artists drew upon their respective Chiricahua Apache and Navajo traditions and narratives for inspiration.