John Carbutt, Chicago, Illinois. Circa 1860s.

Stereoview of Petalesharo II "Man Chief" seated in the dark entrance of a lodge, framed by heavy wooden posts and the exposed grasses of its construction. He wears a feather headdress and a dark blanket around his shoulders, with a large circular medal at his chest. His leggings are densely ornamented with contrasting geometric designs, fringe, and pendant feathers.

The yellow mount is captioned “306. Peter La Cherre, Head Chief of the Pawnee Indians.” Although this mount carries no photographer’s imprint, the view is documented as No. 306 in Carbutt’s “Views of the Rocky Mountains and Vicinity” series. The reverse bears an ink inscription of initials.

Peter La Cherre, better known as Petalesharo II (c. 1823–1874), or “Man Chief,” was a Chaui Pawnee leader who served as head chief during the tribe’s final decades in its Nebraska homeland. His name stands first among the Pawnee signatories to the 1857 treaty, which surrendered their remaining ancestral territory apart from a reservation along the Loup River. An accomplished speaker, he defended the authority of Pawnee leaders, challenged dishonest agency employees, and secured permission for his people to resume buffalo hunting when reservation restrictions left them hungry during the 1860s. He accepted schools as a means of equipping Pawnee children to deal with American officials while resisting interference in tribal affairs. Initially opposed to removal to Indian Territory, he eventually conceded that his people would have to leave. He did not accompany them: wounded by a gunshot under circumstances that remain uncertain, he died of gangrene in Nebraska in 1874.