The painting Patrol of the Lighthorse, privately commissioned in 1990, acknowledges the contributions of Indigenous women and men in law enforcement. The Lighthorse Police was an Indigenous force established by the Muscogee Nation in its 1867 Constitution to serve and protect its citizens within Indian Territory (later known as Oklahoma).¹ The force was founded during an era of profound change in Muscogee history, when the U.S. government challenged the sovereignty of many Indigenous nations and unlawfully seized their lands, resulting in tremendous geographical, political, economic, and social upheaval.

Dana Tiger’s narrative painting combines techniques from both realism and Flatstyle movements. She depicts an armed patrol beneath a full moon, with the female Lighthorse officer on the right and the male Lighthorse officer on the left, amidst the dusting of a wintertime snowfall. Tiger—a member of the Muscogee Nation and of Cherokee and Seminole descent—is well known for her representations of empowered Indigenous women, which she has portrayed throughout her career. She is the daughter of artist Jerome Tiger (1941–1967), whose works are also in the Gilcrease collection.

—Jordan Poorman Cocker, Henry Luce Foundation Curatorial Scholar for Indigenous Painting Collection Research, 2021

This text was developed from an interview with Dana Tiger by Jordan Poorman Cocker, April 1, 2021

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¹ Moore, “The Mvskoke National Question in Oklahoma,” 177.