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Show 66 because this figure also bears a striking resemblance to the central figure in Vignette 19, Blackfeet Indian on Horseback. In this first sketch for Travellers Meeting the figure wears his hair in a topknot, typical of both the Piegan and Atsina tribes, but unlike that of the portrait figure. Further, the figure in this sketch wears a military coat, often worn by the Plains Indians, but for which no reference in Bodmer's portfolio exists. To the left of this figure stands Makuie-Poka, another Piegan Indian, painted in mid-August 1833, at Fort McKenzie.^ The next figure, standing behind and to the left of Makuie-Poka, is a rough sketch that bears some resemblance to the portrait of Ninoch-Kiaiu.^ The central figure, standing near the horse, prepares to greet the travelers. Although this Indian cannot be identified with certainty, the headdress he wears is similar to that of Awascho-Dickfas, the Minnetaree portrayed in Scalp Dance.12 Only one Minnetaree, then, and no Mandans, are found in this sketch; this is remarkable, since these two tribes, according to Maximilian's account, were those that greeted the travelers upon their arrival. The horse in the center of the image is typical of the thoroughbreds depicted by the European-trained Bodmer and bears little resemblance to the sturdy Indian pony of the Plains. A faint drawing of another horse in the upper right corner of this sketch is the reference used for production of the aquatint. For what purpose did Bodmer construct this obviously inaccurate recreation of the expedition's arrival at Fort Clark? The care with which Bodmer had documented the events of the Scalp Dance makes the inaccuracies in this sketch almost unbelievable. The misinformation presented must initially |