Packkaab-Sachkoma-Poh, Piegan Blackfeet Man

Description

A Piegan and a French name are inscribed on this watercolor; the translation of the latter is "Mean Boy"or "Wicked Boy." There is no reference in the diaries to an individual of either name. Tucked under this man's arm is a feather fan, the grip wrapped with cloth or hide. Fans made of the wings of large birds were popular among the Plains Indians, and the factor at Fort McKenzie stocked wild turkey wings as a trade item. The subject of this painting may be wearing another trade item in his hair: his forelock appears to be wrapped in brass wire, a common Blackfeet fashion according to Maximilian.