Petalesharo

Petalesharro, a Pawnee Brave. 1822 painting by Charles Bird King. On display in the White House Library. His feather bonnet is likely the first ever painted by a white artist.[1]: 190  To the cosmos focused Pawnees it symbolized a comet.[2]: 187  He seems to wear a government medal on his breast.

Petalesharo (c. 1797 – c. 1836) was a Skidi Pawnee chief or brave who rescued an "Ietan" girl, that is Comanche girl,[3]: 159  from a ritual human sacrifice around 1817 (in present-day Nebraska) and earned publicity for his act in national newspapers. In 1821, he was one of numerous Great Plains tribal chiefs to go to Washington, D.C. as part of the O'Fallon Delegation where they met President James Monroe.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ewers1988 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Murie, James R. (1981): "Ceremonies of the Pawnee. Part II. The South Bands". Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology, No. 27. Washington.
  3. ^ Thurman, Melburn D.: "The Timing of the Skidi-Pawnee Morning Star Sacrafice. [sic]" Ethnohistory, Vol. 30 (1983), No. 3, pp. 155-163.