Subject: wic'âša 'shirt wearer' warrior

Culture: Lakota Sioux

Setting: Plains Wars, 1862-1890

Object: shield

* Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology > Wiyohpiyata - Lakota Images of the Contested West

"PAINTING POWER The circular shape of shields mimics the sun, the medicine hoop, the moon. Each man's shield design expressed relationships he created with various powers through ceremonies, guidance from a holy man (wicasa wakan), and spiritual visitations experienced in dreams or while fasting and praying alone on high hills (hanbleceya, 'to cry for a vision'). This shield shows a thunderbird; the wavy lines are the sound of thunder speaking to the shield's owner. Lakota men who dream of Wakinyan, the thunder powers, are called heyokas, and they belong to a secret society.

"The act of painting evoked the presence of spirits who protected men and helped them strike down their enemies. Warriors painted their bodies and shields because both the paints and the designs were imbued with power. Yellow mineral paints please Wakinyan and Inyan, the Rock; when heated ritually they are transformed into red, the color of the sun, and the sacred color of ceremony."