Weasel Calf was the last living Blackfoot Chief that signed Treaty Seven when Henderson visited the Blackfoot Reserve. Henderson may also have met Weasel Calf’s two wives. One wife was a holy woman who put up Sun Dance and the other was the leader of the Buffalo Women’s Society. Henderson painted Weasel Calf in a popularized Sioux headdress. Blackfoot people traditionally wore straight up headdresses. Henderson painted white weasel skins attached to the sides of the headdress.
Using the media player above, listen to Linda Many Guns elaborate on bout Weasel Calf’s leadership (3m 18s).
from left
James Henderson
Portrait of Weasel Calf, 1924
Oil on canvas
60.0 x 45.0 cm
University of Saskatchewan Art Collection. Purchased from the artist, 1924.
Attributed to James Henderson
Weasel Calf, Blackfoot posing at Gleichen, Alberta (c. 1923) and an Interior of Henderson’s Studio (c. 1930),
Digital print from R. C. Russell album
Courtesy of Lorna Russell and Clint Hunker, Saskatoon, SK.
Weasel Calf is seen here at the age of 78. His bearing is noble, and his eagle-like features carry an expression both mournful and cynical. By making the backgrounds dark, the dark copper-colored skins have been thrown into bold relief. Although everything is in very low tones, there is an abundance of color, sober yet brilliant.
‘Artist Interprets Tragedy of Red Man,’ Victoria Daily Colonist, April 7th 1923, p. 6.
These works are most likely based on photographs of Blackfoot Chief Weasel Calf that Henderson took on his first trip, in 1923, to Gleichen, Alberta, when he stayed with George Gooderham, the Indian Agent. Inscribed on the back of the University of Saskatchewan portrait is ‘Weasel Calf, Blackfoot Chief, Last Surviving Chief who signed the Treaty of Peace in 1877.’ Henderson painted a number of portraits of Weasel Calf, including one done in 1923, possibly for Mr. Poole, mentioned in the Victoria newspapers, one for the University of Saskatchewan in 1924, and one for Norman Mackenzie, c. 1924, which is called Weasel Calf, a Sioux, thus bringing the documentary authenticity of that portrait into question. In the U of S painting Henderson has duplicated almost exactly the pose in the photograph and faithfully painted the headdress, clothing, round beaded or embroidered circle on his chest, and ermine tassels. In the painting, however, Weasel Calf’s face is turned towards us slightly as it emerges from the shadows and the headdress is severely cropped. To dramatize the portrait, Henderson employs a bright raking light from the right to illuminate the figure while the left half remains in shadow, forcing the viewer to consider the character of the sitter and details of his clothing. Weasel Calf’s headdress seems identical to a Dakota headdress Henderson had in his studio, which he used as a prop in a number of his paintings, including both Dakota and Cree portraits such as those of Standing Buffalo (Dakota) and Chief Bear’s Paw (Stoney) who share an almost identical pose and clothing.
-Dan Ring
Edward E. Harper
Weasel Calf and his favourite wife, Blackfoot reserve., 1921
Archival Photograph
Courtesy of the Glenbow-Alberta Institute, Glenbow Museum, Calgary, AB.
