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A mule deer buck

Ethnographic Notes

A mule deer buck. Compare Plates 47 & 46. The dark face on this animal may be intended to indicate that it is of the rare, mystical variety that Lakota call “deer with a black stripe across its face,” tahca itopta sapa (Buechel, 1970: 474), reputedly very hard to kill. The full-face depiction, rather than the usual profile, is probably indicative of a visionary experience by Black Road. This drawing records the source of one of the protective powers he used to shield horses in combat. Note the butterfly or moth coccoons attached by “power” lines to the buck's hooves; and compare with the horse hooves in Plate 66. The arachnid above represents a deer-tick. Its significance is unknown.


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Provenance

Private owner. Provenance provided by 3rd generation descendants of Charles A. Wilkins on a typed note taped ...

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Document Info
Plate No: 31
Page No: --
Media: pencil and colored pencil
Dimensions: 6.5 x 7.25 inches
Custodian
Personal Collection
Artist
Black Road
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