Young Mahaskah, An Ioway Chief
Datec. 1850-55
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 number2019-37
On View
Not on viewClassificationsPRINT
Label TextMahaska (c. 1784–1834) became chief at a young age when his father was killed by Dakota warriors in an ambush. He was chief during a volatile period when White settlers streamed into Native territory west of the Mississippi. Smallpox and battles with the Osage, Sauk, and Meskwaki nations compounded problems for the Ioway. In 1824 and 1830, on behalf of the beleaguered Ioway, Mahaska signed treaties ceding land to the U.S. government.
