Model

Tall and handsome, the Crow and their Hidatsa relatives were among the most colorful tribesmen of the northwestern Plains.  The figure depicts a high-ranking warrior dressed in his finest ceremonial clothing: hide shirt, leggings and buffalo robe lavishly decorated with beads and porcupine quills and sporting their owner’s war deeds.  The pipe-tomahawk was a highly-prized attribute, a symbol of war and peace.

Using a birch-bark cone as a loudspeaker, Two Guns, a Blackfoot hunter, mimics the call of a moose to lure it in for the kill. Dressed in winter gear, he wears a capote (overcoat) made from a trade blanket, an otter fur hat and grass-stuffed leggings and moccasins. His trusty flintlock, a Northwest Trade gun, was to become a favorite among mountain men.  The ubiquitous knife hangs from his belt in a brass studded leather sheath.

Along with their close allies the Sauk, the warlike Fox (the People of the Red Earth) lived in the Great Lakes region before being moved to Oklahoma after the Black Hawk War of 1832.  Although later assimilated into the Plains culture, the Sauk and Fox retained several Eastern elements in their clothing and weaponry, e.g. roach headdress, front-seamed leggings, bear claw necklace and gunstock club.  With some slight changes, this kit can be easily made to represent a member of the following tribes : Iowa, Ponca, Oto, Osage, Pawnee.

One of the six Apache tribes, the Jicarilla lived in the Colorado –New Mexico border region, the meeting point of three distinct cultures : Plains, Basin and Pueblo. The neighboring influences naturally reflected on their clothing which, along with the Jicarilla’s own contributions like the beaded cape, wide leather belt and hairstyle, offers a unique and graceful blend of several conflicting styles. This model kit is also adaptable to the following tribes : Ute, Mescalero and Lipan Apache.

Following the Sand Creek Massacre of November 1864, the Cheyenne and their Lakota and Arapaho allies assembled for war, and began retaliatory raids against white civilians and soldiers along the South Platte River Road in Colorado.  Among them were the Dog Soldiers, militant and aggressive warriors, who became the sole protectors of their people after the destruction of Black Kettle’s Cheyenne village.  The model depicts White Bird returning from a raid with a cavalry bugle among other captured trophies. Armed with a lance and protected by his Bear paw shield, he wears a calico shirt, blanket leggings, silver armbands and pectoral with najas pendants. His war bonnet of upright eagle feathers is common to the Dog Soldiers.  Fully equipped with a silver-mounted bridle, pad saddle and beaded blanket, his buckskin horse is prepared for war with notched ears, clubbed tail and a medicine marking on its left thigh.

The universal myth of the American Cowboy took its roots after the Civil War, when thousands of defeated Texans returned home and were looking for a new start.  Having heard that meat was in great demand in the north and the east, they began to hunt the half-wild longhorns, gather them up in large herds and drive them up north on the long and hazardous cattle trails.  The ten-part resin kit depicts the original Texas Cowboy in the ‘uniform of the range’. A miniature rope is also included to make the typical lariat.

(temporarily out of stock!)

Among the Northern Plains tribes, the pleasure of dressing in one’s finest clothes and parading was a cherished tradition which endures to this day.  The annual Crow Fair created in 1904 is one such event where the Crow and their neighbours gather to exhibit their livestock and farming produce and to show off their women’s crafts and domestic skills.  The Crow were the richest in horses and the best horsemen. The colourful riding gear was made by the women and included the saddle, head ornament, collar and crupper. The women’s saddle had typically high pommel and cantle ornemented by beaded pendants and was held in place by the crupper. Stirrups were also heavily decorated.  The riding quirt with its carved wood handle and beaded wrist strap was a popular item and was also used as a defense weapon.  The 29 part resin kit depicts Yellow Moon, a Crow mother and her child dressed up in all their finery, getting ready for the parade. She’s carrying her husband’s shield and officer’s staff, a great honour bestowed to worthy wives of prominent warriors.

An amalgam of several south-eastern tribes and runaway slaves, the Seminole were a socio-political alliance with familial, cultural and linguistic ties.  Their resistance to the forced removal from their lands in Georgia and Florida led to the costliest war the US government ever waged against the natives.

The 120 mm figure depicts a warrior during the Second Florida war wearing the typical long shirt and bandolier bag and armed with a hunting rifle. A cast scenic base is also included in the 14-part kit.

Temporarily out of stock