Rock with piyopyóotálikt' (Chief Peo Peo Tholekt's) portrait

Access image
Cultural Narrative: 

Evidence suggests this oval shaped rock was picked up by L. V. McWhorter at the site of a battle between piyopyóotálikt (Chief Peo Peo Tholekt) and a member of the ceeptitím’nin (Cheyenne) tribe. Notably, this rock was hand-painted with a portrait of piyopyóotálikt (Chief Peo Peo Tholekt) by the artist Mildred Schmidtman around 1940. Schmidtman (1909-1996) was a painter who lived in the state of Washington for a large period of her life and is most known for her portraits of Native Americans, such as piyopyóotálikt (Chief Peo Peo Tholekt). It is unknown how the rock eventually came into Schmidtman's possession or how she learned of the connection between the rock and piyopyóotálikt (Chief Peo Peo Tholekt). The rock itself is 12.7 cm in height.

"Peo-Peo Tholekt"

(Inscribed on front of rock - displayed in reverse in photo)

Community: 
Nimíipuu [Nez Perce]
Protocol: 
Nimíipuu [Nez Perce] Public Access
Category: 
Wars/Military/Conflict
Collections: 
Lucullus V. McWhorter
Original Date: 
2022
Creator: 
Schmidtman, Mildred
Rights: 
In Copyright. Washington State University Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections makes this photo freely available for use. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/.
Traditional Knowledge Labels: 
Source: 
The artifact is at the Museum of Anthropology, WSU, Pullman. The original slide is in UA 261, WSU Museum of Anthropology: Lucullus McWhorter Collection Administrative Records, circa 1959-1999 at Washington State University Libraries' MASC.
Identifier: 
1986.2.30_2006
Subject: 
Portraits, Paintings, Rocks, Nimíipuu, Nez Perce
Type: 
Physical object
Format: 
JPG