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Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Various Sizes - Matted Prints
Wearing a magnificent buffalo skin robe, this Minnetaree warrior shows his great wealth and status and also displays his possession of the bear as his personal medicine. The sunburst or concentric circle design is actually known as the feathered circle or black bonnet design and symbolizes the war bonnet and its circle of achievement feathers.
Another mark of this man's distinction is the highly prized grizzly bear claw necklace, signifying the wearer to be a skilled and brave opponent. The dentilium shell and bead "Crow bows" and dangles strung in his hair, along with his abalone shell earrings, not only display wealth but also reveal the extent of their inter-tribal trade that stretched all the way to the West Coast Indians. The eagle feather and three painted exploit sticks, topped with brass tacks and fixed to the back of his head, all show achievement in war.
The clearest sign of the many wars that this man has fought is the deadly "gunstock" club that he carries. Possibly a design that descended from a chief's staff of office.
This warrior is obviously from the glory days of the Minnetaree before an epidemic of smallpox in the mid 1800's all but decimated the tribe. Banding together with the Mandan who had also suffered heavy losses from smallpox, the Minnetaree, now known as the Hidatsa, moved to the Fort Berthold region of North Dakota and have resided there ever since.
Click on Photo to view Full Image
Various Sizes - Matted Prints
Wearing a magnificent buffalo skin robe, this Minnetaree warrior shows his great wealth and status and also displays his possession of the bear as his personal medicine. The sunburst or concentric circle design is actually known as the feathered circle or black bonnet design and symbolizes the war bonnet and its circle of achievement feathers.
Another mark of this man's distinction is the highly prized grizzly bear claw necklace, signifying the wearer to be a skilled and brave opponent. The dentilium shell and bead "Crow bows" and dangles strung in his hair, along with his abalone shell earrings, not only display wealth but also reveal the extent of their inter-tribal trade that stretched all the way to the West Coast Indians. The eagle feather and three painted exploit sticks, topped with brass tacks and fixed to the back of his head, all show achievement in war.
The clearest sign of the many wars that this man has fought is the deadly "gunstock" club that he carries. Possibly a design that descended from a chief's staff of office.
This warrior is obviously from the glory days of the Minnetaree before an epidemic of smallpox in the mid 1800's all but decimated the tribe. Banding together with the Mandan who had also suffered heavy losses from smallpox, the Minnetaree, now known as the Hidatsa, moved to the Fort Berthold region of North Dakota and have resided there ever since.
Click on Photo to view Full Image