Biróhkä, Hidatsa Man

View Larger Image

Download

jpeg(115.98 kb)

For information on accessing a high resolution version of this image suitable for print reproduction please visit the Rights and Reproduction page.

Artist

Karl Bodmer

Birth and death dates

1809 - 1893

Artist Nationality

Swiss

Title

Biróhkä, Hidatsa Man

Date

March 1, 1834

Dimensions

12 5/8 × 9 11/16 in. (32.1 × 24.6 cm)

Medium

Watercolor and graphite on paper

Institution

Joslyn Art Museum

Credit Line

Gift of the Enron Art Foundation

Accession Number

1986.49.291

Rights (i.e. copyright information)

Joslyn Art Museum

Photographer credit

Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019

Commentary

Two different translations are given for the name Biróhkä. In the diaries it is stated to mean "The Robe With the Beautiful Hair," while an inscription on the reverse of the painting refers in French to "He Who Veers From the Side." The Mandans also had a nickname for this man: Pahchub-Hashka, "Big Nose." The painted cap Biróhkä wears is made of the hide of the highly prized white buffalo. It indicates that he was a man of substance, as does his beautifully painted robe. The feathered circle pattern was a popular one in the nineteenth century, favored especially by the Sioux and neighboring tribes. Maximilian described the design as a sunlike image, but noted that to the Indians it represented the feathered bonnet of the accomplished warrior. Feathered circle robes are still commonly referred to as "men's robes," a term obviously stemming from the old association with battle honors. Clad in this robe Biróhkä appears as one of the spectators at the scalp dance depicted in Tableau 27 of the aquatint atlas.

References in Journal

March 1, 1834

Labels:

genre, portrait

Approximate Depicted Location:

Fort Clark, North Dakota