Unidentified Nomad Camp

Description

An old label in German once associated with this picture incorrectly identified the scene as the Mandan women’s corn ceremony at Mih-Tutta-Hang-Kusch on April 2, 1834. Although Bodmer sketched that ceremony (see Plate 305), this drawing more likely depicts one of the many nomad camps observed near Forts Pierre, Union, or McKenzie in the summer and fall of 1833. At the top center are sketches of mounted horsemen and upright travois. To the right of these is a very faint notation that may indicate colors to be used in a later version of the scene: “a. reddish yellow; b. reddish brown; c. white.” Although uncompleted, the picture is filled with interesting details such as a printed tipi, riders racing on the plain, and a small boy in the central foreground aiming his bow and arrow at a group of dogs.