166 Song of the Elkhorn Scraper

Category Art
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 17,500.00 USD
Estimated at 35,000.00 - 50,000.00 USD
Song of the Elkhorn Scraper
Artist: Andersen, RoyDate of Birth: b. 1930
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 30 x 40 inches
Signed: Signed lower left/CA
Verso:

“The location of the painting is the Snake River Valley in Wyoming. The figure is a Cheyenne and a leader of the Elkhorn Society, or ‘soldier’s’ society. Each tribe appointed two men to act as policemen. These men would settle disputes between tribes and would also oversee the hunt for elk or buffalo—to see that one tribe did not get the advantage over another. The rattle the leader is holding is used to call the elk. Antelope hooves are used for the rattles themselves and are also used in ceremonial dances. The crook lance, which is wedged in the rock in the painting, is carried only by the society’s leaders. It is a ceremonial lance but is also used for punitive measures against those who break tribal laws.” —Roy Andersen