Schudegácheh, Ponca Chief

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Artist

Karl Bodmer

Birth and death dates

1809 - 1893

Artist Nationality

Swiss

Title

Schudegácheh, Ponca Chief

Date

May 11, 1834

Dimensions

11 7/8 × 8 1/2 in. (30.2 × 21.6 cm)

Medium

Graphite, charcoal, ink and watercolor on paper

Institution

Joslyn Art Museum

Credit Line

Gift of the Enron Art Foundation

Accession Number

1986.49.241

Rights (i.e. copyright information)

Joslyn Art Museum

Photographer credit

Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019

Commentary

On May 11, while the Yellow Stone was stopped near White Bear Bluffs, three Ponca Indians from a nearby village were taken on board. One of them was Schudegácheh ("He Who Smokes"), an imposing man referred to by Maximilian as the chief of the Ponca tribe. Like many of the Indians portrayed by Bodmer, Schudegácheh wears a silver peace medal around his neck. Such highly prized medallions played an important role in frontier Indian policy, since they were given as symbols of friendship and allegiance, first by the French and the British and later by agents of the American government. The American medals were generally made in three sizes. A directive issued in 1829 specified that the largest medals were to be given only to principal village chiefs, the smaller ones to less distinguished individuals. The medal depicted here bears the image of President Madison; its large size confirms Maximilian's estimate of the Ponca chief's importance. Schudegácheh's portrait was included in Tableau 7 of the aquatint atlas.

References in Journal

May 11, 1833

Labels:

genre, portrait

Approximate Depicted Location:

Near White Bear Bluffs, South Dakota