The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Plate 681: John Quapaw-Hunta Wakunta

1927
(American, 1868–1952)
Overall: 43.2 x 35.6 cm (17 x 14 in.)
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The Quapaw tribe started out in the Midwest and Ohio Valley, were forcibly moved westward to Indian Territory in 1834, and now have a tribal base in northeastern Oklahoma.

Description

Chief John Quapaw, also known as Húnta Wakúnta, was 66 when this portrait was made, probably near his home in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. He died the following year. A 1919 newspaper article described him as “kind, considerate, religious, a gentleman in every sense of the word.” Quapaw owned hundreds of acres of land, including lots in the city of Quapaw, Oklahoma, which was named after him. The metal badge he wears resembles those of Western sheriffs and the Texas and California Rangers, but he is not known to have been an officer of the law.
  • ?-2022
    Dr. Terence D. Isakov and Joyce Isakov, Moreland Hills, OH, given to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    December 5, 2022-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Plate 681: John Quapaw-Hunta Wakunta|url=false|author=Edward S. Curtis|year=1927|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2022.305