… taken at the 1988 Alumni Weekend at the Oklahoma School for the Deaf.

Herschel Johnson is a handsome full-blood Indian whose soft hands contrast with his classical Indian face. He is a talented artist specializing in humorous caricatures of Indians and of students at the Oklahoma School for the Deaf cutting up at homecomings and other special events. His drawings are treasured by the alumni. For many years, he worked as a team with the late Ted Griffing, who would feed him ideas which he interpreted in caricatures.

He also works with leather and beads and earns a little extra money selling his pictures and crafts at school reunions, Oklahoma Association of the Deaf conventions and Muzzler Club camps.

Herschel is fascinated by war and soldiers. One memorable water color and ink drawing depicts soldiers with human bodies and dog faces charging out of the trenches.

Now partly disabled, he accepts his condition philosophically.

Early Photos
Left: 1949-50 basketball team photo (photo from Edwin Westlake)
Center: 1948-49 basketball team photo (photo from Edwin Westlake)
Right: 1944-45 basketball team photo (photo from Edwin Westlake)

My family is full-blooded Indian. My father was a full Creek and my mother a full Seminole, so I'm a full-blooded Indian even though my parents were from different tribes.

My parents lived on a farm in Okemah, about 100 miles east of Oklahoma City. I lost my hearing as a baby when I fell. The rest of my family can hear and speak normally. There were four boys and one girl. The youngest, Billy, died when Jack died, so that leaves just the three of us. When I was a little kid, I roamed the farm with my dog and had a lot of fun; I don't think I knew I was deaf. The three youngest of us in the family were pretty close and we found ways to communicate and help with the chores. My two oldest brothers were away more often working on my cousin's farm, so we weren't that close.

My father had several jobs and he owned his own farm with 150 acres. He never had a regular job but worked on the farm while he had temporary jobs. My mother was a housewife.

My sister told me that my mother died of cancer of the heart and that my father had weak blood and he died as a result of that. My youngest brother, Billy, was an alcoholic. He also had weak blood and died.

I entered the Oklahoma School for the Deaf in 1937, when I was seven years old, and stayed until I graduated in 1951.

I studied drawing at school but only for a short period of time. I didn't get enough training--only two years' worth--because the teacher who taught art left. That was during World War II, and even though the superintendent sent out letters announcing the position was open, no one applied. So he just gave up. I was disappointed, but I'm very grateful for what the deaf school did for me.

But I kept up with art on my own and I've continued ever since. I started taking art lessons when I was 12 years old. Mostly, I drew with pencil and sometimes with ink.

After I graduated, I worked with leather crafts. I used to make purses, belts and billfolds. It was a good job, much different than school. I liked working with leather crafts. I worked there for five years and then I moved to Tulsa and was able to get a job there working at Nelso Electric. I earned good money but I worked there only two years then I was laid off.

I married Mary Jo in 1955. I met her in school. She is hard of hearing and she had moved to Tulsa, where we met and became sweethearts. She is white; not Indian. I was thinking about marrying a deaf Indian girl but the only ones around were all so much younger than me. I wanted to marry someone who was deaf because I didn't think it would work out with a hearing wife. When I started going steady with Mary Jo, I forgot all about Indian girls. We have been married for 28 years now. We get along O.K. She works for a company that makes airplane wings.

We have one daughter, our only child. Our daughter is now married and has a two-year-old son, so I'm a grandfather. I like it.

There are a few other deaf Indians in Tulsa, but most of them live out of town. I believe there are about 10 deaf Indians around here, male and female. There are more at the deaf school at Sulphur--I would say there are eight to 10 Indian children there.

I'm the only one (Indian) that goes to things like meetings, to the Alumni Day, to the OAD conventions. I sell Indian crafts. I can early pretty good money that way, but I'm the only one. None of the other deaf Indians go to the Alumni Days but I never miss them myself. A lot of people like me because of my humorous drawings; they like to see me there. I don't know why the others don't go.

Very few of the deaf Indians work. I do know some of the Indians who work outside. I can't work any more myself. I just clean up around the house a little bit; I do a little painting; I work in the garden. That's about it. My art helps some. Usually, I sell it at the OAD conventions and Alumni Days. They like that at the high school. Many of the kids buy my pictures to put on the walls at their home. I also do some T shirts.

(Herschel asked if we would like to see some of his pictures.)

Here's a picture of "dog faces" fighting in Germany. I drew it with water color and ink. I have another one I'd like to show you. This is a picture of a Civil War soldier in water color and ink. And this is a self portrait. I drew myself in this Civil War costume. I sell some of these pictures at the Muzzler Club camps, but people seem to think the price is too high. They take a long time to finish. I sell more humorous pictures and they don't take so long to finish.

"Muzzler Club?" (We were confused.)

I'll show you. (Herschel brought in a long muzzle-loading rifle. It was so heavy, we had difficulty holding it to our shoulders. It was obviously his most prized possession.)

Now, in this picture I showed you, just me in the old costume, I joined the Muzzler Club, which has all hearing members. I was with them for six years and did a lot of traveling. It was fun. We'd go out to eat, we'd go camping, have shooting matches and have a great time. I would say I went to about seven states for camps.

We wear costumes and you have to have the muzzler-loader rifle, powder horn and shot bag. The hearing members showed me how to load the rifle and where to buy powder and shot. You can get them in town, but they are too expensive in the stores. We buy and sell things at the camps.

There was another deaf man in Oklahoma City who was involved for a while, but he quit. He wasn't really interested. I hear there are about 25 deaf Muzzler Club members back east. I subscribe to the magazine, Muzzler, and I read once that there are about 25,000 members in the United States. I wish I could afford to go to camps in other states and meet some deaf members.

(Herschel guided us to the garage, which was filled to the rafters with plywood figures made for OSD and OAD functions, Christmas decorations and other handiwork. He likes to work with his hands.)

Here, please take this . . . and this . . . and this. (He pressed a T shirt, a beautiful beaded brooch and two captivating pictures of OSD students--a boy and a girl shyly half hiding behind trees--on us. He declined payment but finally accepted a modest amount when we insisted he couldn't afford to give his work away and we wanted to pay. Herschel Johnson has genuine artistic talent and he loves his work, but he'll never be rich.)

Gail Hyde
Project Coordinator, Web Design