Mehkskéhme-Sukáhs, Piegan Blackfeet Chief

Description

Maximilian referred to Mehkskéhme-Sukáhs ("Iron Shirt") as the most distinguished of the several chiefs who gathered to greet the arrival of the keelboat party on August 9 at Fort McKenzie. At that time he was wearing a lace-trimmed scarlet uniform obtained from British traders as a gift. Mehkskéhme-Sukáhs gave this to the Fort McKenzie superintendent in the hopes of getting an even more resplendent outfit from the Americans. When he posed for a portrait two days later, he wore a hide shirt decorated with otter fur, beadwork, and metal trade buttons. Affixed to his hair are feathers, a bear claw, and what appears to be a small ermine with blue beads for eyes. The portrait was reproduced in Tableau 45 of the aquatint atlas.