Artwork

Portfolio VI, Plate 205: Bringing the Sweat-Lodge Willows - Piegan

Edward S. Curtis , 1900

Portfolio VI, Plate 205: Bringing the Sweat-Lodge Willows - Piegan is a work on paper by Edward S. Curtis. It dates from 1900 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Portfolio VI, Plate 205, titled “Bringing the Sweat‑Lodge Willows – Piegan,” is a photographic plate taken by Edward S.

About this work

The title says they’re carrying "sweat-lodge willows," which were likely used for a ceremony.

This photo shows a group of people riding horses across an open field. Tall grass sways around them, and a few palm-like plants lean in the wind. The riders wear long clothes and hats, some holding sticks or bundles. The sky is flat and light, with no clouds in sight.

The title says they’re carrying "sweat-lodge willows," which were likely used for a ceremony. The photo looks old, with a faded, brownish tone.

Next, check out Edward S. Curtis (American, 1868–1952) to see more of his work.

Overview

Portfolio VI, Plate 205, titled “Bringing the Sweat‑Lodge Willows – Piegan,” is a photographic plate taken by Edward S. Curtis in 1900. The image is part of his extensive visual record of Indigenous peoples of the American West and is currently in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Subject & Meaning

The scene captures a group of Piegan individuals on horseback moving across an open plain, each bearing bundles of willow branches. These willows were traditionally harvested for use in the construction of sweat‑lodge structures, a ceremonial space for purification and communal gathering among Plains tribes.

Technique & Style

Curtis employed early 20th‑century photographic processes, resulting in a muted, brown‑toned image that emphasizes form over color. The composition uses a low horizon and a flat, unobstructed sky, drawing attention to the riders, their attire, and the swaying vegetation, while the soft focus conveys a sense of historical distance.

History & Provenance

Created in 1900, the plate was later incorporated into Curtis’s multi‑volume portfolio of Native American photographs. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition (date unspecified), where it remains accessible for research and public display.

Context

The photograph reflects Curtis’s broader project to document the cultural practices of the Blackfoot Confederacy, of which the Piegan are a component. By recording the transport of sweat‑lodge willows, the image preserves a specific ritual element that was increasingly threatened by forced assimilation policies of the era.