VISUAL ACTIVITYComanche Feats of Horsemanship, 1834 Pennsylvania artist George Catlin toured the Great Plains and captured Comanche equestrian warfare in training. “Every young man,” Catlin wrote, learned “to drop his body upon the side of his horse at the instant he is passing, effectually screened from his enemies’ weapons. . . . He will hang whilst his horse is at fullest speed, carrying with him his bow and his shield, and also his long lance . . . which he will wield upon his enemy as he passes.” READING THE IMAGE: Is there a riderless horse in this picture? Is this unusual expert riding skill an offensive or defensive posture? CONNECTIONS: How did the Comanche's formidable presence in the Great Plains affect American westward settlement?
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C./Art Resource, NY.