Absarokee (Crow) Warrior 1870
Bruno Schmäling

The Pegaso Figurine
A beautiful blue sky stands over Montana. A warrior of the Absarokee tribe stands on a hill, watching the horizon for signs of enemies. He held a ceremonial staff of his warrior society, the “Lumpwoods” in his hand. His weapons consist of a Bow and Arrows. The bow is placed in a beautiful quiver made from the fur of a mountain lion. He wears one of the beautiful war shirts of the Absarokee. His hairs are styled in the typical “pompadour style” of the Absarokee. His leggings are made from blue trade cloth, his tribe got as an allied of the white man.









The Absarokee (Crow)
The Apsarokee, correctly translated “The children of the bird with the big beak”, which means “children of the raven”, were known to the white people as “Crow”.
”. The Apsarokee who, separated from the semi-sedentary Hidatsa tribe on the Missouri around 1775 were the nomadic Plains Indians per excellence. The Absarokee were a relatively small tribe with about 2000 to 4000 people, which means they could provide about 400 to 800 warriors. They were divided into two main groups the “River Crow” and the “Mountain Crow”. The hunting ground of the Absarokee east of the Little Bighorn Mountains was the best hunting ground of the central plains. This brought the Apsarokee in a constant war with the two most powerful tribes of the central and northern plains, the Lakota and Blackfeet but also with the Cheyenne and Arapaho. Very often outnumbered, the Absarokee had the reputation as excellent and fearless warriors. Their only allies were the Hidatsa and Gros Ventures, they friends were the Nez Perce and after 1850 they made peace with the Assiniboines.
Under the leadership of her charismatic chief Plenty Coup, the Absarokee fought on the side of the white soldiers. At the battle of Rosebud, it was the Absarokee warriors who prevent a total disaster, when Gen. Crook was attacked by Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors under the leadership of Crazy Horse. It was up to the diplomatic ability of Plenty Coup, that the Absarokee got their Reservation on their old hunting grounds at the Little Bighorn. But also on the Absarokee Reservation the living condition goes worst in the beginning of the 19th Century, after the US Government rent big parts of the Reservation to white ranchers without the agreement of the tribe. (Even today large parts of Reservation land are rented to white ranchers and farmers against the will of the Native owners).
The white ranchers start to kill the fast horse herd of the Absarokee and paid 3$ for every pair of horse ears. In 1919 the US Government decided to kill all horses of all Indian tribes. In 1923 the killing of 40 000 to 60 000 Indian horses started. When in Montana local hunters refused to kill the horses, the Government hired hunters from the south to do the work. Three years later, all horses of the pride Indian horse owners were slaughtered. The protest of the Indians, but also of persons likes the famous novelist Henry James or the photographer Edward S. Curtis, was in vain.

Crow Hairstyle


The Warrior Societies of the Absarokee
The Absarokee had two warrior societies, the Lumpwoods and the Foxes. Both warrior societies had the same regalia of straight and crocked staffs. The Lumpwoods had their name, because a young member of this society would try to count his first coup, to touch an enemy, with a lump piece of wood. The Lumpwoods consist of three groups:
Lumpwoods without sweethearts (unmarried men)
Big Lumpwoods (married younger men)
Old Lumpwoods
There was always a hard rivalry between the Lumpwoods and the Foxes which was the better and braver warrior society. Contrarily to other tribes of the Plains, the women were involved in this rivalry, parading to special events proud with the regalia of the warrior society of the husband. For four nights in a year it was allowed to steal the woman of a member of the other warrior society. If this stealing was successful the woman had to stay with the new husband. If a couple wanted to avoid such a situation the woman had to hide or the husband had to guard his wife for this four nights, but of course than he can’t go to look for another wife.

Crow War Shirt


Pretty Eagle – Crow Warrior


Two Leggins – Crow Warrior



Sources:
Robert H. Lowie, The Crow Indians, 1935/ 1963
Edward T. Denig, Five Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri, 1961
William Wildschut, John C. Ewers, Crow Indian Beadwork, 1959/ 1985
Frank B. Linderman, Pretty Shield Medicine Woman of the Crow 1932/ 2003
Frank B. Linderman, Plenty Coup, Chief of the Crow, 1930/ 1957
Joseph Medicine Crow, Mein Volk die Krähenindianer, 1994
Thomas E. Mails, The Mystic Warriors of the Plains, 1972/1991
Thomas E. Mails, Dog Soldier Societies of the Plains, 1973, 1998

Beautiful painting,very good choice of colours!
christos

Exellent painting Bruno and I found the background information very interesting.

Roger.

As always great painting. Great work
So we can see that research, is payed off in figure painting.

Marc

Terrific painting my friend. One of your best surely


Stephen Mallia

Bruno, beautifully painted, I like it very much.

Cheers
Roc,

Amazing work.. Really amazing. One of the best indians I have ever seen. Way to go both to Pegaso and Bruno.

Xenofon

WOW! Beautiful figure and exceptionally painted Bruno!One to be proud os for sure!

Jay H.
OKC

That is a most incredible figure, and looks to be a lot of fun to paint. Your paint job is amazing.

Bruno, Just what I like, well painted and researched.~Gary

AGREED !!! GOOD JOB, Bruno ! Cheers !
Kenneth.

Hi Christos, Roger, Mark, stephen, Roc, Xenophon, Jay, Captnenglish, Gary and Kenneth,

WOW!!!
I don't expected this comments! Thank you very much for your encouragement. It was the first Box Art I ever did and I'm very happy that you all like my worke so much, as well as my research.

The figurine will be on the market at December 2006 and I'm very curious to see painted versions of my figurine from other artists.

When you paint the beadworks remember, that the Absarokee used only seven colors:
Lavender (a light Magenta), a cold light Blue (this were the base colors) and red, yellow, white, darkblue, green (this miost for the ornaments).

Thank you very much and many greatings from Germany

Bruno

Great painting, Bruno. Beautiful shading!

Best regards
Artur