"Good Place to Camp"

Two friends choose a place to spend the night before continuing on with their hunting trip. They have selected a defensible position if enemies should discover them. The huge hemlock trees will help keep the morning dew from settling on them and the wind blowing down the river valley should help keep the flies and mosquitoes away. During the early period of contact with white traders (late 17th and early 18th centuries), the fur trade was flourishing along the upper Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Distantly related Algonquian tribes in the area sought deer hides as the most valuable commodity of trade to obtain the cloth, firearms and steel items that they needed to improve their way of life. The Shawnee brave in the foreground, wears tanned deerskin leggings and breechclout and one piece soft-soled elk moccasins. His natural fiber quiver is typical of the period. Trade silver ball and cones and ear wheels were their favorite form of self decoration. Shawnee men occasionally shaved the front portion of their heads and/or wore their hair long and loose. The young man removing his pack is a typical Miami brave. They were known by early English traders as “naked men” or “tattooed men”. The Miami preferred the color red for their breechclouts and bags. They also wore the soft-soled one piece moccasins in common use by the woodland Indians. His head is shaved, except for a decorated tuft of hair at the crown (scalp lock) and one or two long braided locks of hair which dangled in front of or behind his ear. His knife is in a porcupine quilled sheath which he wears on a leather thong around his neck. Silver bracelets and earbobs, plus shell gorgets were also common. Tattoos on the face and body were quite popular. Some were simply geometric lines and shapes, while others indicated good luck, great achievements or clan affiliations.

  
Available As A Limited Edition Canvas Print
Ten In The Issue
Size - 24" x 32"     Framed Price - $575.00     Unframed Price - $375.00