Poor Crane, Chief of the Cayuses 1891 - 1906

Olin Levi Warner created this bronze relief of "Poor Crane, Chief of the Cayuses," in 1890 during a period of intense conflict and displacement for Native American tribes. Warner's work exists within a complicated history. While it memorializes Poor Crane as a "mighty warrior" and friend to white settlers, it also implicitly acknowledges the violence and dispossession inflicted upon the Cayuse people. The inscription notes Poor Crane was "thrice wounded for them [whites]," suggesting both his bravery and the tragic circumstances of his alliance. The relief lists the Yakima War, Piute and Bannock uprisings, and the Snake War – all conflicts rooted in the encroachment of white settlers on Indigenous lands. Warner's work, while seemingly celebratory, serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of westward expansion. It raises questions about whose stories are told, and how they are framed within the dominant culture.