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Northern Cheyenne Wolf Scout by James Bama
Artist James Bama’s portrait of a Northern Cheyenne Wolf
Scout is among his most beloved portrayals of a proud warrior decorated with
trophies from both war and hunting. His headdress and armbands, made of wolf
hide, give him the power and stealth of the wolf. He wears a necklace of buffalo
teeth and around his torso is the rawhide lariat for catching wild horses.
Hanging down from his waist is hair from a scalp that he carries with him so
that the scalped person will be unable to kill him in the afterlife. This scout
has blackened his eyes and hands to represent the claws and eyes of a wolf. On
his face, arms and chest, he first smeared buffalo or deer fat, then white clay
from the riverbanks to represent the white underbelly of the wolf. It was an honor to be appointed a scout by a Cheyenne warrior chief. Scouts
ranged for days at a time looking for buffalo, horse herds and threatening white
soldiers. Usually three scouts would travel together so one could always be on
watch at night, and if needed one could be sent back to camp with news. When the
news was important, the scout would howl like a wolf to alert the camp as he
approached camp.
Print released 1992.
Anniversary canvas released November 2011.
In stock