page_title: Letters and Notes on the Customs and Manners of the North American Indians
section_title: Letters 2–9: Mouth of the Yellow Stone
hierarchical_section_title: Letters and Notes on the Customs and Manners of the North American Indians / Summary / Volume 1 / Letters 2–9: Mouth of the Yellow Stone
caption_attribution_description: English: Original artwork of the head chief of the Blackfoot nation in the travel narrative Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Conditions of the North American Indians by George Catlin
context_page_description: Letters and Notes on the Customs and Manners of the North American Indians is a two-volume travel narrative by George Catlin, an American painter, author, and traveler. The book, published in 1842 in London, was written during eight years of travel from 1832 to 1839 and contains many of Catlin’s illustrations. The book is divided into letters written by Catlin, rather than chapters, with some letters containing information about the same regions.
context_section_description: In these letter he takes note of the beauty of the area, and also learns about buffalo hunting. He makes multiple illustrations of the animal itself, along with a piece that illustrates the actual act of hunting and killing the buffalo. He also learns about the Blackfoot nation (letter 5), even painting the head chief. The line cut can be seen at the very end of letter 4. In the narrative, he mentions their costumes, dynamics between Blackfeet, their weapons (lances, bows, shields, and arrows), and mentions several distinguished Blackfeet. In letter 6, he mainly writes of medicine used in the tribes of the region, learning the nature of medicine bags, how to form them, and of their value. During the time of these letters, he also meets and learns about the Crow and their lifestyle, comparing their language with the Blackfeet.
caption: George Catlin's portrait of the head chief of the Blackfoot Nation
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