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Scenes of Plains Indian Life, c. 1880 (pigment on elkhide)
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Scenes of Plains Indian Life, c. 1880 (pigment on elkhide)
5848722 Scenes of Plains Indian Life, c.1880 (pigment on elkhide) by Cotsiogo or Cosiogo (Cadzi Cody) (1866-1912); 172.7x200.7 cm; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MN, USA; (add.info.: Eastern Shoshone, Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
Hide painting was a medium for recording stories and events by Plains men for centuries. Like his contemporaries, Cadzi Cody recorded events that he remembered from before he was confined to the reservation: the Sun Dance, a Grass Dance, and a buffalo hunt. The Sun Dance, represented by the forked tree in the center of the hide, is the most sacred of all Plains ceremonies. The ceremony is held annually and participants fast and pray for several days, offering themselves to the Creator. The buffalo head hung between the forks honors the spirit of the animal which is an integral aspect of Plains life. The Grass Dance is illustrated by the male dancers dressed in eagle feather bustles, war bonnets and bells. The Grass Dance is the predecessor of todays pow-wows, a time for celebrating and socializing. Cadzi Cody included a scene of the traditional buffalo hunt to make the painting more salable to the white tourists visiting the reservation to observe the Sun Dance. By including scenes of hunting, dancing and ceremony, Cadzi Cody capitalized on the outside market for images of Indian ceremonialism.); eMinneapolis Institute of Art; Gift of Bruce B. Dayton; American, out of copyright
Media ID 22768148
© Minneapolis Institute of Art Gift of Bruce B. Dayton / Bridgeman Images
American Indian Bison Buffalo Capitalism Colonisation Commercial Encampment Festival Herd Hide Indigenous Leather Mounted North American Painted Plains Plains Indian Plains Indians Reservation Shoshone Skin Spirituality Stylised Teepee Teepees Tent Tents Tipi Tipis Tourism Wyoming First Nation Social History Sun Dance
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This print titled "Scenes of Plains Indian Life, c. 1880" transports us back to a time when the Plains men used hide painting as a medium to preserve their stories and experiences. Created by Cadzi Cody, an Eastern Shoshone artist from the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, this artwork measures an impressive 172.7x200.7 cm and is housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Cody's masterpiece showcases three significant aspects of Plains life: the sacred Sun Dance, the vibrant Grass Dance, and a traditional buffalo hunt. The central image depicts the revered Sun Dance ceremony with its distinct forked tree symbolizing spirituality and devotion to the Creator. Hanging between these branches is a buffalo head paying homage to this essential animal that sustained Plains communities. The male dancers adorned in eagle feather bustles, war bonnets, and bells represent the lively Grass Dance which served as a precursor to modern-day pow-wows – joyous occasions for celebration and socialization within Native American culture. Interestingly, Cody included scenes of hunting alongside ceremonial activities to cater to white tourists who visited reservations specifically during Sun Dances. By capitalizing on their fascination with Indian ceremonialism through his artistry, he made his paintings more marketable outside indigenous communities. Through this remarkable pigment on elkhide artwork by Cadzi Cody, we gain insight into Plains Indian life in the late 19th century while appreciating both its cultural significance and artistic brilliance.
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