Leader of Men

This is a Crow Indian of the pre-Reservation period, about 1850 to 1860. This shows the character in the man with a lot of focus on his eyes. Actually, chiefs gained prestige within their band or tribe if they did not flaunt wealth. They would be more inclined to give things away and be more austere in appearance than their comrades. This was a sign of their leadership. Here he has a bow case which is quite a good one. It is made out of mountain lion skin and has bead work on it. The strong pattern with the shape of the bow case comes up diagonally, leading up to the face and the old Crow war bonnet with the eagle feathers then back down the right side.