"The Found War Shield"

                   original: oil on linen 18x24"

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In the Indian wars following the U.S. Civil War, Indian scouts became a valuable asset. Commanders in the western territories took full advantage of the animosity between the separate tribes by utilizing their knowledge of the territory, their ability to move quickly over vast distances, and their ferocity in battle. The Apaches were among the first regular Army Scouts, but Navajo, Pawnee, Pequot and even Crow found employment as a way to get off the reservations and take up arms against old enemies.

 

In The Found War Shield, I try to imagine the inner conflict some might have struggled with when one veteran Crow scout happens upon a relic of his earlier life. The war shield of a fallen tribesman.