Ah-tón-we-tuck, Cock Turkey, Repeating His Prayer

George Catlin, Ah-tón-we-tuck, Cock Turkey, Repeating His Prayer, 1830, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.241
Copied George Catlin, Ah-tón-we-tuck, Cock Turkey, Repeating His Prayer, 1830, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.241
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Artwork Details

Title
Ah-tón-we-tuck, Cock Turkey, Repeating His Prayer
Artist
Date
1830
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Recreation — church — prayer
  • Portrait male — Cock Turkey
  • Indian — Kickapoo
Object Number
1985.66.241
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.241

Artwork Description

George Catlin described Cock Turkey as “another Kickapoo of some distinction, and a disciple of the Prophet; in the attitude of prayer also, which he is reading off from characters cut upon a stick that he holds in his hands.” Ah-tón-we-tuck’s prayer stick was used for twice-daily recitations of a prayer adapted from the teachings of a Methodist missionary. The artist probably painted this portrait at Fort Leavenworth (in today’s Kansas) in 1830. (Catlin, <i>Letters and Notes</i>, vol. 2, no. 47, 1841; reprint 1973)