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IIt is autumn of the year 1820, an era considered to be the golden age of the horse culture in America. Tribes traded guns, blankets, knives, metal points and hundreds of other items, but nothing was more desired or valuable than the horse.
In this scene a large Lakota camp has been set at a predetermined location. They anxiously await the arrival of their trading partners, and mostly, their trading stock. Finally, they see great clouds of dust and hear the muffled roar of hoof beats - a great herd of horses is being led into camp. In the foreground, 4 Lakota sentries witness the spectacular sight.
I was inspired to paint this work after I read of a similar event that took place in 1846 on the Arkansas River. The Kiowas and Commanches met with the Cheyenne and Arapahoe. The Kiowas and Commanches brought 8,000 horses for trade!
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