Mató-Tópe, Mandan Chief

Mató-Tópe (Four Bears) was a distinguished Mandan chief from Mih-Tutta-Hangkusch who introduced Bodmer and Maximilian to his kin and allies. Throughout the winter of 1833–34, the chief visited Bodmer’s living quarters, eventually posing for two portraits. Here, Mató-Tópe appears ready for battle. Every element of his attire has significance: the yellow handprint on his chest signals that he has taken war prisoners, while ocher stripes painted horizontally on his arms count battle coups, or acts of bravery. In his hair, colorfully painted wood sticks symbolize gunshot wounds and a red-painted wood knife commemorates his famed victory in hand-to-hand combat with a Cheyenne chief—an event that he also painted on a buffalo robe that he gave to the travelers (now in the Linden-Museum, Stuttgart).