Look closely and you will see the raccoon hidden in the back stealing the Chief’s medicine pouch by slowly pulling it over the log while the Chief pounds his drum and sings, unaware of the little thief. The Native Americans have tales of the raccoon as the prankster with his little hands that can do anything and his mask for hiding in the shadows. I took the photo that was the reference for this sculpture in South Dakota of Chief David Bald Eagle. He was sitting on a log playing his drum and oddly enough was not singing a Native American song. When I asked him to sing loudly so I could get some action shots, he said, “what should I sing?” Not knowing any Native songs, I stuttered for a minute and his wife, who was sitting near us chimed out, “how ’bout She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain!” We all laughed and I said, “sure, it’s not a video, the sculpture will just be a moment frozen in time.” My models were always fun to work with and made every experience memorable.
This bronze has detailed colorful bead work and feathers. It is 16″ tall with a rotating wooden base so you can see all the beautiful work on his headdress in the back and the fun raccoon. It can be placed in a niche, on a stand, on a table, or on a desk. Small enough to be versatile but large enough to make a statement in any room. And a great conversation piece of art! Edition of 30.