THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 81 



The dress of this chief was one of great extravagance and some beauty ; manu- 

 factured of skins, and a great number of quills of the raven forming his stylish 

 head-dress. — Ibid. 



128. M£h-to-t6n.-pa, the Four Bears; second chief, but the favorite and popular 

 man of the nation ; costume splendid, head-dress of war-eagles' quills and 

 ermine, extending quite to the ground, surmounted by. the horns of the 

 buffalo and skin of the magpie. 



(Painted 1832. Plate No. 64, page 145, vol. 1, Catlin's Eight Years.) 

 The next and second chief of the tribe is Mah-to-toh-pa (the Four Bears). This 

 extraordinary man, though second in office, is undoubtedly the first and most popular 

 man in the nation. Free, generous, elegant, and gentlemanly in his deportment — 

 handsome, brave, and valiant; wearing a robe on his back, with the history of his 

 battles emblazoned on it ; which would fill a book of themselves, if properly trans- 

 lated. This, readers, is the most extraordinary man, perhaps,^ who lives at this day, 

 in the atmosphere of nature's noblemen; and I shall certainly tell you more of him 

 anon. — Mr. Catlin, Ibid. 



129 Mah-t6-he-ha, the Old Bear ; a very distinguished brave ; but here represented 

 in the character of a Medicine Alan, or Doctor, with his medicine or mystery 

 pipes in his hands, and foxes' tails tied to his heels, prepared to make his 

 last visit to his patient, to cure him, if possible, by hocus pocus and magic. 

 (Painted 1832, Plate No. 55. Page 111, vol. 1, Catlin's Eight Years.) 

 I had trouble brewing also the other day from another source; one of the li medi- 

 cines " commenced howling and haranguing around my domicile, amongst the throng 

 that was outside, proclaiming that all who were inside and being painted were fools 

 and would soon die ; and very materially affecting thereby my popularity. I, how- 

 ever, sent for him and called him in the next morning, when I was alone, having only 

 the interpreter with me ; telling him that I had had my eye upon him for several 

 days, and had been so well pleased with his looks, that I had taken great pains to 

 find out his history, which' had been explained by all as one of a most extraordinary 

 kind, and his character and standing in his tribe as worthy of my particular notice ; 

 and that I had several days since resolved that as soon as I had practiced my hand 

 loug enough upon the others, to get the stiffness out of it (after paddling my canoe 

 so far as I had) and make it to work easily and successfully, 1 would begin on his 

 portrait, which I was then prepared to commence on that day, and that I felt as if I 

 could do him justice. He shook me by the hand, giving me the " doctor's grip," and 

 beckoned me to sit down, which I did, and we smoked a pipe together. After this 

 was over, he told aae that " he had no inimical feelings towards me, although he had 

 been telling the chiefs that they were all fools, and all would die who had their por- 

 traits painted — that although he had set the old women and children all crying, and 

 even made some of the young warriors tremble, yet he had no unfriendly feelings 

 towards me, nor any fear or dread of my art." " I know you are a good man (said he), 

 I know you will do no harm to any one, your medicine is great and you are a great 

 'medicine-man.' I would like to see myself very well — and so would all of the chiefs ; 

 but they have all been many days in this medicine-house, and they all know me well, 

 and they have not asked me to come in and be made alive with paints — my friend, I 

 am glad that my people have told you who I am — my heart is glad — I will go to my 

 wigwam and eat, and in a little while I will come, and you may go to work " ; an- 

 other pipe was lit and smoked, and he got up and went off. I prepared my canvas 

 and palette, and whistled away the time until twelve o'clock, before he made his ap- 

 pearance; having used the whole of the fore part of the day at his toilet, arranging 

 his dress and ornamenting his body for his picture. 



At that hour then, bedaubed and streaked with paints of various colors, with bear's 

 grease and charcoal, with medicine-pipes in his hands and foxes tails attached to his 

 heels, entered Mah-to-he hah (the Old Bear, Plate 55, No. 129), with a train of his 

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