"Win-Jun-Jon (The Pigeon's Egg Head), Assiniboine Chief, Going To and Returning From Washington, D.C." By George Catlin.

The picture I chose to analyse is one by George Chatlin; a man who had accompanied General Clark of Lewis and Clark fame and specialised in painting Native Americans, mostly in the Mid-West. He felt that they were a 'vanishing race' who needed their customs and lifestyles to be record, which he did in several journals he wrote when he was in the west. The picture itself is fairly simple, it is essentially a early version of a 'Before and After' picture with the Indian Chief Win-Jun-Jon as he appeared in 1837 on the left and as he appeared after returning from Washington D.C. in 1839. The picture shows how Win-Jun-Jon's appearance has changed after being exposed to civilisation for a period of two years, after going to Washington he has taken to wearing European clothing such as a top hat and a suit. However there are a few personal touches made to the attire; firstly, Win-Jun-Jon's hair is still cut in a very un-European fashion, i.e. long and braided, he is also holding a fan, which was used by women rather than men. This illustrates the Chief's lack of cultural knowledge whilst at the same time trying to impersonate the European style of life. One could regard this as a sign of the decline of Indian culture if a Chieftain is willing to turn 'European', indeed it is very much like conquered people in the Roman Empire dressing and acting like Romans, which in turn helped speed up the conquest of said people. However like the people Rome conquered Win-Jun-Jon has adapted European dress and kept some personal touches such as his hairstyle, so one could argue that like the Gauls and Britons he is accepting the inevitable and adapting to fit the wave of change, whilst keeping reminders of who he was.