On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Péhriska-Rúhpa, Hidatsa Man
Karl Bodmer Swiss
Not on view
Péhriska-Rúhpa (Two Ravens) visited Fort Clark frequently and posed twice for Bodmer. Here, he appears dressed entirely in Meníss-Óchatä (Dog Society) regalia. On a snowy evening in March 1834, Maximilian and Bodmer witnessed a dance performed by Meníss-Óchatä members from the Hidatsa village of Ruhptare. Society members marched toward Fort Clark, blowing eagle-wing bone whistles like the one Péhriska-Rúhpa wears around his neck here. His magnificent headdress identifies him as one of the four leaders of the society. Maximilian described it as composed of "giant tufts of densely arranged raven tail feathers [with] small down feathers attached [to each] tip. . . . When they dance, all these feathers rock up and down."
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