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Ball-play of the Choctaw--Ball Up
From the collection of Smithsonian American Art Museum. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In 1834, George Catlin witnessed Choctaw lacrosse in Indian Territory near present-day Oklahoma, and was captivated by the game. He described ball-play as “a school for the painter or sculptor, equal to any of those which ever inspired the hand of the artist in the Olympian games or the Roman forum.” Lacrosse, which involved a no-holds-barred struggle for the ball, was a physical, even violent, game called “little brother of war” in Choctaw.
Smithsonian American Art Museum’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineBall-play of the Choctaw--Ball Up. 1846-1850. George Catlin, born Wilkes-Barre, PA 1796-died Jersey City, NJ 1872. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.. CC0.
