Ka-Pés-Ka-Da, Shell Man, An Oglala Brave
1832
George Catlin traveled the American West in the 1830s with a mission to paint Native American tribes before their cultures were irrevocably changed by westward expansion. This striking portrait captures Ka-Pés-Ka-Da, an Oglala Lakota brave, adorned with eagle feathers, a shell necklace, and a decorated hide robe featuring a vibrant sunburst design. Catlin's work serves as a vital historical record, blending artistic portraiture with ethnographic documentation of a way of life he feared was disappearing forever.
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