Sioux Indians in the Mountains

Miller wrote, “The Dacotahs or Sioux, and Snake Indians, were the finest of the tribes of savages that we met in the north-west. …[the Sioux] possess very fine lodges and war dresses, and an abundance of good horses.” (Bell, 50) The artist’s admiration for the Sioux is not only evident in his writing, but also here, in this depiction of a handsomely-dressed Sioux family group and a regal white stallion (a good horse to be sure). The central male figure, seen in profile looking to his female counterpart, stands tall and dignified. His pose and draped clothing recall classical sculpture, particularly depictions of Roman orators. Ron Tyler has noted, “Miller believed the Sioux to be an ideal sculptural specimen and lamented that sculptors had not come west to see them and model after them.” (Tyler, 34)

Karen B. McWhorter