Tul-Lock-Chísh-Ko, Drinks The Juice of The Stone, In Ball-Player's Dress
1834
George Catlin traveled the American frontier in the 1830s with a mission to document Native American life before it vanished. This striking 1834 portrait captures a Choctaw ball player, painted in vibrant red ochre and holding the distinctive double-sticks used in stickball, a fierce game often called 'little brother of war.' Catlin was so obsessed with the sport that he later organized a team of Native Americans to tour Europe, demonstrating the game to absolutely bewildered crowds who had never seen anything like it. The white feathers trailing from his waist add a majestic touch to this athletic figure.
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