Assiniboine Chief Before And After Civilization Analysis

In the painting, “Assiniboine Chief before and after Civilization” by George Catlin, it illustrated the tragic differences and the conflicts amongst the Native Americans and the white people. In the painting it shows two men dressed in different clothing on different sides of the painting. As you look closely you can tell that the two men are actually just one person. That mysterious man is an assiniboine chief.
Located on the left side of the painting, the chief stands so great and proud. He is wearing a cream colored buckskin suit that covers his entire body from his shoulders to his feet. Along with his suit, he is wearing tan leggings with a red and blue strip on the side of them, tan moccasins to cover his feet, and a long head piece …show more content…
This was a typical outfit for a Native American during that time period. The chief has long dark hair but, it is mostly covered by his long feathered headpiece. The headdress is a very important part of the outfit and of the Native American culture. Typically it is made of beautiful bird feathers and it is more symbolic than anything else worn within their typical outfit (Shea). In his left hand the chief is holding a pipe that was typically used for smoking during that time period. There were several types of pipes used by the Native Americans for different circumstances. The one that the chief is holding seems to be a peace pipe and they were used to smoke tobacco. The peace pipes were very common and tribal chiefs and medicine men used them at ceremonial events to honor spirits of the past and the future and to ask blessings for peace for the universe. These traditionally sacred pipes were made of wood covered with either rawhide or …show more content…
This was possibly the village the assiniboine people lived in. The general is standing so tall and grand that he is perhaps comparing his wealth and power to the people of this village. The general probably assumes he is so much better than the native americans and has a much better way of life since that is what many of the white men think. The Indians did not realize the superiority attitude of the white men, looking at them as primitive and rude. The Native Americans did not understand this; they looked at the white people just as being different, having different values. The Indians were looking for peace while the whites were looking for their precious land that could potentially bring them wealth. The right side of the painting is also a darker shade than the left. The darker shade symbolizes how the white men looked down upon native americans and just laughed in their faces with no potential of peace but instead taking over their