748 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



present — as to tlie truthfulness of each picture. These certificates were 

 attached to each picture, and are almost all now in the National Museum. 



The tribes he was most with, and whom he has written most of and 

 painted, were the Mandans, Sioux, Chippewas, Poncas, Comanches, and 

 Pawnees, and these he has preserved in many examples. 



His paintings are particularly valuable in description of Indian dress, 

 the material, shape, color, and various articles. His descriptive text in 

 the "North American Indians" and other works is as exact as to this as 

 his paintings. 



INDIVIDUAL PORTRAITS — VALUE OF. 



His gallery contains portraits of Indians of tribes now practically 

 extinct, notably Nos. 274, 275, and 276; Delawares, No. 246; Kas Kas 

 Kia's, 247; Eu-chee, 309 and 310; and Missourias, 122. 



His portraits of historic Indians since 1800 are invaluable : Keokuk, 

 No. 1; Black Hawk, No. 2; Clermont, No. 29; Ha-won-je tah (One 

 Horn), No. 69; Wa-be-shaw, No. 90; Mah-to-toh'-pa (Four Bears), Nos. 

 128 and 131; Eh-toh'-k-pah-she-pie-shah (Black Moccasin), No. 171; 

 Sha-co-pay (The Six), No. 182; Decorie, No. 199; Naw-Kaw (Wood), 

 No. 209; Eed Jacket, No. 263; Cusick, No. 271; Ten-Squat-a-way (The 

 Prophet, brother of Tecumseh, Tecumthe), No. 279 j John Eoss, No. 

 283; Tuch-ee-Dutch,No.284; Osceola, No. 301 ; Ee-mat-la (King Philip), 

 No. 302. 



Many of the Indians represented were engaged in the English and 

 border wars, from 1776 to 1839, as described in the earliest books of 

 travel in the West — Captain Carver, McKenzie, Lewis and Clark, 

 Lieutenant Pike, Captain Long, Schoolcraft, McKenney and Hall, J. 

 O. Lewis, and J. Morse, and "Drake's Book of the Indians." 



These were taken before the day of the daguerreotype or photograph. 

 In aid of a pictorial history of the North American Indians the collection 

 is simply invaluable. His illustrations and descriptions of the methods 

 of hunting and capturing the now almost extinct buffalo are of in- 

 creasing value. 



MR. CATLIN AS A SPECULATIVE THEORIST AS TO THE INDIANS. 



It is one of the most fortunate circumstances that Mr. Catlin did not 

 assume to be a trained ethnologist in the years 1832 to 1840, filled with 

 strange fancies and theories. Had he been, the chances are that he, with 

 his lack of experience, would have "split hairs" and lost sight of the 

 real value of his work — observing and writing down truthfully and cor- 

 rectly what he saw. 



The rivalry in the field of Indian lore and research was very bitter 

 and intense from 1820 to 1860. Schoolcraft and others were naturally 

 much interested in their own advancement, and Mr. Catlin received 

 scant justice or recognition from many in the same line of work. The 

 testimony of so high an authority as the eminent Dr. Charles Rau 



