Neva of the Arapaho; George Bent of the Cheyenne

Neva and Spotted Wolf, Arapaho Delegates to 1863 Visit Abraham Lincoln, with imprint of Addis & Noel, Leavenworth, Kansas. Neva (standing) is wrapped in a masterpiece of porcupine quillwork embroidery on a brain-tanned buffalo robe of the type that was sometimes presented as a special gift from a mother-in-law to her daughter's husband. Such robes were made as sacred vows by Cheyenne and Arapaho members of the Woman's Sewing Society. Also, such work was often pledged as a prayer for the recovery of a sick relative or the return of a loved one too long away at war. Once the work was completed, the vow was considered fulfilled, and the maker was then at liberty to give or trade her work however she wished. Twenty was considered the minimum number of quilled stripes for such a vow; 30 or more was deemed extraordinary. This robe has over 80 stripes running the entire length. It represents a year or more of daily work by the woman who created it. Among the property which George Custer reported he had destroyed with Black Kettle's Cheyenne/Arapaho village at the Washita in November 1868, were "573 tanned buffalo robes, many decorated." Spotted Wolf carries a pipe and a beaded tobacco bag, indicative of his position as a Council Chief. His painted and quillwork-decorated leather shirt with locks of human hair indicates his earlier career as leader of one of the warrior societies. Neva grasps a bow and a single arrow in his left hand. The nock and fletching of the arrow are seen against his bare right shoulder.

George Bent, half white, half Cheyenne, and his wife Magpie, a Cheyenne (1867)