Beschreibung:

constructed of hardwood rubbed with red pigment and carved in the shape of a stylized eagle’s tail, with a fragment of a mirror placed in a rectangular carved recess, held in place with tiny wooden pegs at each corner. Square-shanked brass trade tacks embellish both sides of the board, the reverse decorated with a carving of a large bird with anthropomorphically exaggerated legs; the bird colored with fugitive traces of black pigment, especially at the beak and left margins; its left foot colored in red ochre. The bird “holds” a catlinite pipe outlined in red ochre and decorated with a single feather colored in yellow ochre and walks under a halo of red smoke drifting from the pipe. Overall length 9.3 in. x width 3 in. Reverse of board affixed with a manuscript label that reads: (L)ooking Glass of Big Crow Sioux Chief Pres. by Major M. O'Brien ca 1860s The use of mirror boards by Plains warriors as part of their make-up kit is well known, as is their symbolic use in warfare itself, with the mirror serving as a metaphor for the difficulty of capturing light and the rapidity by which the warrior could strike his enemy. The board here, combining a mirror with a large crow – the name glyph of the owner of the board – along with the sacred pipe, was undoubtedly a potent source of personal power. Considering the name ascribed to the owner of the mirror board – “Big Crow” –and the fact that the outline of the figure is embellished with black pigment, the carving more than likely represents the name glyph of its owner. Big Crow is a known Southern Cheyenne Dog Soldier whose deeds are illustrated in an important ledger book curated at the Colorado Historical Society (Afton et. al. 1997, Plates 17, 19 and 113). In each of these illustrations, Big Crow is identified by a large black crow seen over his head. Among most Plains groups, a warrior’s name was considered his personal property, and one that was received after a period of vision induced fasting or an unusual encounter with an animal, often during a vision-induced dream. While it is impossible to know Big Crow’s vision, this mirror board records his personal talisman – the Crow. The mirror board is further enhanced by the “T”-shaped pipe, attached feather, and plume of smoke that provides an overarching halo above the carved name glyph. Pipes – themselves considered living entities by many groups -- were one of the primary means by which Native Americans communicated with the spirit world, and sky gods. A plume of tobacco smoke was seen as sending a message skyward, where it would be received by the beings of the upper world. The manuscript label provides two clues regarding the history of this artifact, one a military figure, one a Native American. A search of the service records of the regular United States Army found only a single instance of an officer of the rank of Major, whose last name was O’Brien. The “Major M O’Brien” referred to on the manuscript label affixed to the mirror almost certainly refers to Major George Morgan O’Brien of the 7th Iowa Cavalry. The 7th Iowa was organized in Davenport in April, 1863, and shortly thereafter was transferred to Omaha, Nebraska. The 7th spent their entire Civil War service on the Plains. Before mustering out of service in January, 1866, the 7th saw repeated action with Plains groups in Nebraska, Kansas, Dakota and Colorado, engaging their enemies at the battles of White Stone Hill, Little Blue, Rush Creek, Mud Springs, Horse Creek and Julesburg. It is this last encounter, at Julesburg, that has direct bearing here. According to the official records of the fight, in January, 1865 a portion of the 7th Iowa, commanded by O’Brien, and Colonel Samuel W. Summers was stationed at Fort Rankin, about a mile west of the Oregon Trail way station at Julesburg, Colorado Territory. Hoping to seize stores of government and other materiel warehoused at Julesburg, a force of about 1000 Northern Arapaho, Lakota Sioux, and Southern Cheyenne Dog Soldie