Wah-ro-née-sah, The Surrounder, Chief of the Tribe

George Catlin, Wah-ro-née-sah, The Surrounder, Chief of the Tribe, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.117
Copied George Catlin, Wah-ro-née-sah, The Surrounder, Chief of the Tribe, 1832, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.117
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Artwork Details

Title
Wah-ro-née-sah, The Surrounder, Chief of the Tribe
Artist
Date
1832
Location
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
  • Portrait male — Surrounder, The — bust
  • Indian — Oto
  • Dress — Indian dress
Object Number
1985.66.117
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.117

Artwork Description

George Catlin described this sitter as “quite an old man; his shirt made of the skin of a grizzly bear, with the claws on.” The Surrounder was chief of the Otoe tribe, who lived in spacious timber lodges perched on a ridge overlooking the Platte River. His bear claw necklace suggests he was a member of the Bear Clan, which shared leadership of the Otoes with the Buffalo Clan. Catlin probably painted The Surrounder at Fort Leavenworth (in today’s Kansas) in 1832. (Catlin, 1848 Catalogue, Catlin’s Indian Gallery, SAAM online exhibition)