Pa-She-Nine, A Chippewa Chief

Datec. 1850

Artist Charles Bird King American painter, 1785–1862

Printer/Printmaker John T. Bowen British engraver, 1801–1856, active in Philadelphia

Publisher Rice, Rutter & Co. Philadelphia publisher, 19th century

Illustration CitationThe History of the Indian Tribes of North America, by Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall (Philadelphia: Rice, Rutter, & Co., 1865–1870).

MediumLithograph with hand coloring

Dimensionssheet: 10 3/8 × 6 1/4 in. (26.4 × 15.9 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mary R. Seymour; Accessioned, 2019

Object number2019-35

On View

Not on view

ClassificationsPRINT

Label TextAn Ojibwe (or Chippewa) chief, Pa-She-Nine prominently wears a "peace medal" or "predisential medal," likely given to this indigenous leader by the government of the United States in recognition of a treaty. The tradition of peace medals dates to the colonial era, when the British and French governments gave them to Native leaders. While peace medals were worn proudly by some indigenous leaders, others refused them in the 1800s, considering the United States government unreliable in its negotiations.