Painting On Buckskin
date: label: Accession Date
content: 18 Mar 1904
name: label: Collector
content: Mr. James Mooney
label: Donor Name
content: Bureau Of American Ethnology
notes: label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: THE SUN DANCE: SMOKING TO THE MEDICINE. THIS PAINTING ON BUCKSKIN REPRESENTS ONE OF THE PRELIMINARY CEREMONIES OF THE GREAT ANNUAL SUN DANCE, LAST ENACTED BY THE KIOWAS IN 1887. AT THE LEFT UPPER CORNER IS THE COTTONWOOD TREE WHICH HAS BEEN CHOSEN TO BE CUT DOWN TO FORM THE CENTER POLE OF THE MEDICINE LODGE. THE FRAMEWORK OF CROSSED POLES BELOW SHOWS WHERE IT IS TO BE PLANTED. ON THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER IS A GROUP OF PRIESTS, WITH THE CEREMONIAN FANS, BLACK PIPE AND MEDICINE BAGS. IN THE CENTER SITS THE CHIEF PRIEST OF THE CEREMONY, THE KEEPER OF THE TAIME OR SACRED IMAGE, WEARING UPON HIS BROWS A FILLET OF JACK-RABBIT SKIN. BEHIND HIM SITS THE WOMAN WHOSE OFFICE TI WAS TO CUT DOWN THE TREE AT EACH ANNUAL SUN DANCE. AMONG THE KIOWAS THIS MUST BE DONE BY A CAPTIVE WOMAN, WHO, AT THIS PERIOD WAS A MEXICAN, AS INDICATED BY THE WAVY HAIR AND LIGHT SKIN. THE MOUNTED WARRIOR, WITH SCALP ERECT UPON A STAFF, IS RETURNING TO ANNOUNCE THAT HE HAS "COUNTED COUP" UPON THE SACRED TREE, AS UPON THE BODY OF AN ENEMY, TO CLAIM IT FOR THE TRIBE. THE LOWER PART OF THE PICTURE REPRESENTS THE "SMOKING" OR INCENSING TO THE SACRED TAIME (SEE SERIAL NUMBERS 25-32), BEFORE TAKING IT FROM ITS ..." CONT. SEE CARD
label: Notes
content: Depicting preparations for the Medicine Lodge, including counting coup on the tree to form the center pole and smoking to the Taime. Painted by Hangun. 50" (127 cm). Records: The Sun Dance: Smoking to the Medicine. This painting on buckskin represents one of the preliminary ceremonies of the great annual Sun Dance, last enacted by the Kiowas in 1887. At the left upper corner is the cottonwood tree which has been chosen to be cut down to form the center pole of the Medicine Lodge. The framework of crossed poles below shows where it is to be planted. On the upper right corner is a group of priests, with the ceremonial fans, black pipe, and medicine bags. In the center sits the chief priest of the ceremony, the keeper of the Taime, or sacred image, wearing upon his brows a fillet of jack-rabbit skin. Behind him sits the woman whose office it was to cut down the tree at each annual Sun Dance. Among the Kiowas this must be done by a captive woman, who, at this period was a Mexican, as indicated by the wavy hair and light skin. The mounted warrior, with the scalp erect upon a staff, is returning to announce that he has "counted coup" upon the sacred tree, as upon the body of an enemy, to claim it for the tribe. The lower part of the picture represents the "smoking" or incensing to the sacred Taime (see 229825-229832), before taking it from its parfleche case and undoing the wrappings. This also must be done by a captive, in order that no harm befall the tribe from neglect of any of the accompanying taboos. The captive, another Mexican, still living, sits at the farther end, wearing a military coat. Behind and in front are the chiefs of the officiating warrior societies. (A). Associated names: Hangun. (from Merrill, William L. et al. 1997. A Guide to the Kiowa Collections at the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology, no. 40. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.)
label: Record Last Modified
content: 16 Jun 2023
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Not Given, Oklahoma, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Kiowa
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 042431
label: USNM Number
content: E229894-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Hide Painting