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Black Road and a Man on horse

Ethnographic Notes

Dressed for evening courting, Black Road, in the foreground, and a male companion are cruising the village on horseback. The white face and socks of the blue horse make it a grulla gelding, different than the blue roan in Plate 43, which has black contrast features. Golden eagle feathers ornament its tail and forelock. A silver bell is tied under the throat. Black Road holds a fan made from the tail of a golden eagle. The white circle painted on his blanket may be a reference to the Buffalo Dreamer ceremony depicted in Plate 33, where a similar circle is painted on the dreamer's buffalo robe. Members of the Sacred Bow society also routinely carried “a small medicine hoop (cangleska)...about three inches in diameter...at the center was a small bag of Black Road's medicine...before going into battle each bow-carrier put a small pinch of this medicine in his mouth. No one knew just what it was, but everyone knew it was good medicine” (Blish, 1934: 184).


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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: 40
Page No: --
Media: pencil and colored pencil
Dimensions: 6.5 x 7.25 inches
Custodian
Personal Collection
Artist
Black Road
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