John Well-Off-Man is a member of the Chippewa-Cree Tribe. Born in Havre, Montana in 1950, Well-Off-Man was raised on the nearby Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation. In 1978, he received a degree in photography from the Ohio Visual Arts Institute after which he studied printmaking at the Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico where he received an Associate of Fine Arts degree in 1990. Continuing his education, Well-Off-Man earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of Montana in 2005 and a Master of Arts in Fine Arts, Integrated Arts, and Education from the University of Montana's Creative Pulse Program in 2007. Well-Off-Man has worked as a photographer, film developer, and artist.
John Well-Off-Man's Collection of Photographs contains 109 images of people and events on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation. The photographs were taken during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Well-Off-Man collected these images from Paul Mitchell, an elder from Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation, as part of his research into the history of the Rocky Boy Reservation. Well-Off-Man made copy negatives from Mitchell's nitrate negatives.
A portion of the images in this collection have brief descriptions written on them, though it is not clear by whom. Almost all the images are undated and many currently lack identification of the individuals in them. Most are of Cree and Ojibwe (Chippewa) people. While the images in the collection come from several sources, the majority were likely taken by John Gable, the son of William Gable who was the Lutheran Pastor on the Rocky Boy Reservation in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. As a graduate student at the Philadelphia Seminary in the 1930s, John Gable was also responsible for a number of film productions including "Rocky Boy Mission In Action," a 1935 film about the Lutheran Mission on the Rocky Boy Reservation. While it is unclear whether the photos in this collection are associated with Gable's documentary project, the content of the images suggest that there is a connection between the two. According to Well-Off-Man other images were taken by Florence Bruckner.
Images were maintained in the order in which they were received.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to the University of Montana.
John Well-Off-Man's Collection of Photographs, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
These images were held by John Well-Off-Man who acquired them from Paul Mitchell, an elder on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation.
John Well-Off-man donated these images to the Archives in 1988 and 1989.
These images were assigned photo numbers by the Archives when they were received. During processing in 2019 these image numbers were maintained. [Note, images 89.0027 and 89.0028 are not a part of this collection.]
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America holds the John W. Gable motion picture film collection.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Bob Small 'Bob Tail' KES-KAH-YO in full Indian dress on Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana. The boy wears leggings, moccasins, and a beaded choker. He stands in front of a tipi. (Name of photographer and date of photograph from Montana Historical Society.)
Photographer: Peeso, F. E. (Frederick Edwin), 1881-1970
Photo portrait of Little Bear of the Cree.
Photo Portrait of Chief Kenawash. He wears a beaded belt.
Photographer: Fritz Studio
Photo portrait of Little Bear with pipe on Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana.
Studio portrait of Little Bear and an unidentified white man with a large mustache. Little Bear wears leggings and a headdress. He stands with his hand on the seated man's shoulder. A dog stands between them.
Studio portrait of Left Hand Boy on Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana.
Studio portrait of Chief Kenawash on Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana. He wears a headdress.
Photographer: Fritz Studio
Studio photo of Jim Denny, "Maggie" Denny, William Denny, and Florana Denny on the Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana.
White Bear Claws with his horse on the Rocky Boy Reservation.
A picture of 'Old Boy' O-cha-se-mas, wrapped in a blanket, on the Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana. He stands on a blanket in front of what appears to be a tipi.
A picture of an unidentified Indian family, likely on the Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana. A woman and six children stand in front of a tipi. Library note: The family is identified in a Montana Historical Society photo in MMP as the Smallboy family. The boy in the front row on the right side of the photo wearing decorative leggings is Robert Smallboy (Bobtail).
Indian man and two boys in full dress: Edward Arkinson, Baptiste Samatt, and Edward Eagleman on the Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana. They stand in front of painted tipis.
Scene in Havre, Montana. A group of Native Americans are in a circle in the street with people gathered around. A number of horse-drawn wagons are in the circle. Broadwater Brothers Drugs storefront is visible.
Rosie Two Teeth beading a bag and a belt on the Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana.
Portrait of Charlie Chippewa, brother of Chief Rocky Boy.
Rocky Boy, Ojibwa Chief. Deer Lodge, Montana
Picture of Big Rock, medicine man of the Chippewa, in front of teepee or lodge furnished by Charles M. Russell on a lot at the rear of Theodore Gibson's home in Great Falls, Montana.
Studio portrait of George Watson (White Head). He wears a beaded vest and other beaded clothing.
Sun dance structure on the Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana. Several Native Americans are in and around the structure. One is on horseback. Two others sit in a wagon.
Pioneer town with wagons, likely in Montana. The town sits in a valley. The wagons and at least one automobile are on a hill above the town. An American flag flies near the wagons.
Portrait of Chief Little Bear of the Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana. He sits on a blanket with a blanket covering his legs. Part of a pole-framed structure can be seen, and one of the poles casts a shadow across Chief Little Bear's face and torso.
Mary Chief Out holding a baby, Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana. She stands in front of a log building.
Council sun dance camp, Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana. A group of Native Americans sit in a circle. Several men on horseback are just outside the circle. Many of the men wear Native American attire; some wear headdresses.
A picture of the old Council Hall built before 1920 on the Rocky Boy Reservation. Snow is visible on the ground and on parts of the wooden structure.
Group of men and women around the Sun Dance Structure. Probably at Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana. Structure is partially covered with canvas and wooden poles are visible.
Cooking utensils displayed in front of teepee.
A group of Native American women and children pose in front of a building. Library note: The building is probably the Our Saviour's Lutheran Church on the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana. Many of the women in the photograph are wrapped in blankets. The children wear coats and hats. Other buildings can be seen behind the group. The soft-top of a buggy or an old car is visible behind the women on the left side of the photograph, and two horses, presumably hitched to a buggy, are on the right side of the photograph. A hillside is visible behind the buildings. This is the same group of people that appear in image umt010861.
Left to Right: Chief Little Bear, Kinnewash, William Bole, Franklin K. Lane (Secretary of the Interior), Jim Denny, Other Person, Pat Raspberry, Frank Bird Linderman in front of Placer Hotel, Helena, 1913. During the conference on securing land for Chief Little Bear and his tribe (description from Image 48 in Frank Bird Linderman Collection, University of Montana.)
Photographer: Taylor Studio (Helena, Montana)
A group of unidentified women and children stand outdoors. The large building on the right behind the group is Our Saviour's Lutheran Church on the Rocky Boy's Reservation in Montana. Many of the women are wrapped in blankets. The children wear coats and hats. Several dogs wander in front of the group. Another building can be seen behind the group on the left side of the photo. A soft-top vehicle is visible behind the women on the left side of the photo. A hillside rises behind the buildings. This is the same group of people that appear in umt011117. Image is titled: Clothing give-away for women.
The log building in the center of the photo is the original log chapel of Our Saviour's Lutheran Mission Church on the Rocky Boy's Reservation. A large number of parked cars is parked near the buildings. The vintage of the cars in the photograph suggest the photo was taken in the early to mid-1930s. A number of people, perhaps the congregration, stand outside the chapel. The chapel is near Boxelder Creek.
The first Rocky Boy School and the first Superintendent of the reservation, Mr. Parker, wearing the cap. A group of adults and children pose for the photographer in front of a log building.
Cecilia Parker and Bessie Well-Off-Man standing in front of a house.
Celebration during Decoration Day. Young girls holding ribbons around a tree. Possibly on the Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana.
Two Native American men and Frank Linderman hold an Indian Peace Flag of 1803 with Frank Linderman on the right. Library note: The man on the left is Jim Gopher (Loud Thunder), and the man in the middle is Frenchman. The flag is thin, and the bodies of the men holding the flag can be seen through it. Another man can be seen though the flag kneeling on the ground and holding the bottom of the flag beside Linderman. What appears to be a Sun Dance structure is being erected in the background. Same as image umt010345.
A picture of the Sun dance camp on the plain. Location unknown (probably Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana.)
Indians celebrate at the sun dance camp, likely on the Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana. Men, women, and children can be seen in the foreground. Some are on horseback; others are in wagons. Most of the people stand. Several automobiles are parked near the crowd. The sun dance structure can be seen in the middle of the photograph, and tents or tipis are in the background.
Two Native American men and Frank Linderman hold an Indian Peace Flag of 1803 with Frank Linderman on the right. Library note: The man on the left is Jim Gopher (Loud Thunder), and the man in the middle is Frenchman. The flag is thin, and the bodies of the men holding the flag can be seen through it. Another man can be seen though the flag kneeling on the ground and holding the bottom of the flag beside Linderman. What appears to be a Sun Dance structure is being erected in the background. Same as image umt010345.
A group of men and women gather on the street in Havre, Montana. Some are on horseback, most are standing. Many (all?) are Native American.
Indians celebrating at the Sun dance camp. The sun dance structure, an open, circular framework of logs, is seen in the mid background. Tents are visible farther back. (Probably Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana.)
Rocky Boy Mission and Post Office. Montana. Log-sided building set at the base of a mountain. Signs on front of building read US Post Office and Rocky Boy Mission. A second building can be seen in the background on right of photograph.
Women and children pose for a photo in front of Council Hall. Many of the women wear blankets. The hall is a log building. Probably at Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana.
Men and boys pose for a photo outside of Council Hall. The men wear traditional Native American garb, and most have some form of headdress. The hall is a log building. Probably at Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana.
A group of people on horses. Image is entitled: Bringing in the sun dance pole. (Probably Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana.)
Four babies sitting on a blanket. A woman is visible in the far right of the image. Infants appear to be Native Americans. Background appears washed out due to sunshine.
Men and horses working in a lumber yard and mill on the Rocky Boy Reservation, Montana.
Teepee, tent and people on plains of Butte, Montana. Mountains in background.
A picture of the Sun Dance Pole. Men seated and standing near it.
Sun Dance structure. Men seated and standing nearby. Two men on horseback. Army-style tents and hills in background.
Group of Indian boys and girls of various ages stand in front of a building that may be a schoolhouse. Probably at Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana.
People on a horse-drawn sled going to the Mission on the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana. Several women sit on the sled. A man and a women stand. The people appear to be Native American.
Larry Spotted Blanket and Bill Watson. Watson sits on a horse-drawn disk plowing a field. Location is probably Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana.