George Catlin. “The Begging Dance, Sauk and Fox.” Lithograph with hand coloring. From Illustrations of the Manners, Customs, & Condition of the North American Indians. Vol. 2. United Kingdom: Chatto & Windus, 1876. 9 3/4 x 6 in. 

A hand-colored lithograph of George Catlin’s “Begging Dance” as done by the Sac and Meskwaki tribes near the Great Lakes region. Catlin explains the dance in his book: “[It] is a frequent amusement, and one that has been practiced with some considerable success at this time... It is got up by a number of desperate and long-winded fellows, who will dance and yell their visitors into liberality; or, if necessary, laugh them into it, by their strange antics, singing a song of importunity, and extending their hands for presents, which they allege are to gladden the hearts of the poor, and ensure a blessing to the giver.” 

Both the Sac and Meskwaki are Algonquin-speaking peoples that have been close for centuries — while they are two distinct tribes, the U.S. government has designated them as a single political unit. Their relationship began due to the Fox Wars in the early 18th century, when the Meskwaki fought the French off and on from 1701 to 1742. The two tribes allied in 1735 against the French and continued to live together afterwards, spreading throughout the Midwest. Native Americans such as Black Hawk (ca. 1767-1838) and Keokuk (ca. 1780-1848), both famous for fighting in the 19th century, were born in Sac Midwestern territory in the late 18th century. 

When this book was originally published in 1841, the Sac and Meskwaki tribes were facing debt, poverty, and forceful relocation from the U.S. They moved from the Midwest to first Iowa, then what is now Oklahoma, but even that land was ceded to the federal government. By 1910, the two tribes totaled about 1,000 people — this increased to about 4,000 by 2000. 

George Catlin (1796-1872) was an American author, lawyer, painter, and traveler from Pennsylvania. Growing up, he had always had a fascination with Native Americans; his mother was captured by some during the Battle of Wyoming in 1778. After studying to become an artist, he became enthusiastic to preserve records of Native American customs and peoples. He traveled to the American frontier often, where he specialized in portraits of the Native Americans who lived there. Between 1830 and 1836, Catlin ventured to the west five times, visiting fifty different tribes, including the Pawnee, Omaha, and Crow, among others. 

Returning from these first trips, Catlin created his “Indian Gallery,” a collection of more than 600 paintings. He traveled across the country, then to Europe, to showcase his gallery and lecture about the tribes he encountered. Due to personal debt, he had to sell his original collection in the 1850s. He tried to recreate the collection based on outlines from the 1830s, which turned out more cartoonish than before. This lithograph is part of that “Cartoon Collection.” 

The original painting this lithograph is based on is featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum (see object no. 1985.66.439). 

[Native Americans, Native American History, American Indian, Indian History] [Art, Folk Art, Military Art, Etching, Engraving, Lithographs, Prints, Ephemera]