Hidatsa Honor giclee

Fine art LIMITED EDITION signed giclee - prices start at $235

Each numbered print comes with a certificate of authenticity in your choice of high-quality watercolor paper or canvas. Paper prints are shipped rolled. Canvas prints have two finishing options: 1) Shipped rolled in a tube or 2) stretched and ready-to-hang with a gallery wrap finish. Your print will be shipped within 10 business days of purchase. Embellished giclees are only available as canvas, stretched, and ready-to-hang and take 8 to 10 weeks to complete. Read more about embellished giclees here.

Do you have questions about Hidatsa Honor?

Please contact me at James Ayers studios with any questions you might have.

More about Hidatsa Honor

A Hidatsa warrior holds the two pillars of his tribe: peace and war.

About the contrast

War and peace are the two sides to a warrior such as this one. He must be prepared to be ferocious on the battlefield to protect his people, while also working hard to maintain peace to prevent further violence. The instruments he holds exemplify those two sides. The pipe is a sacred instrument used in prayer. The spear he holds is not just decorational, he would have used it on the field of battle.

About the subject

This painting has been a decade in the making - I had unused pictures from a photoshoot from 10 years ago and have been searching for the right inspiration to use them. I recently came across these photos in my archive, and could see a portrait of this strong, proud warrior in my mind’s eye.

He wears a shirt that I came across in my research. The garment is decorated with porcupine quillwork and fringes of human hair and would have made for a regal presence on the battlefield.  Other adornments include a dentalium necklace and abalone earrings.

(If you would like to know more about the shirts worn by Plains warriors, I invite you to check out Beauty, Honor, and Tradition: The Legacy of Plains Indian Shirts by Joseph and George Horsecapture.)

The warrior holds a pipe made from a combination of red catlinite with an inlay of soft metal.Tobacco was used in the sacred rituals of the Hidatsa, who used tobacco to aid in their prayers reaching the heavens. He also holds a spear, decorated with ermine and blessed with medicine which is bound to the spear with the red trade cloth at the top.