Dance to the Berdache - Saukie

George Catlin

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of a group of people clustered together and facing different directions. Many of them have their knees bent. The group stands on light green grass under a blue sky, and the composition is framed in an oval. Almost all of the people are bare chested, their tan skin decorated with horizontal lines of bright red paint. They wear orange and yellow belts and long, white-and-black feathers around their waist. Some wear pants that appear to have tassels or string attached to the sides, while others have bare legs decorated with more red paint. They wear long strands of necklaces and multiple earrings featuring bright turquoise beads, and their hair is tied back in long, thin braids with more feathers and red spikes sticking up from headdresses they wear. Some of the people hold objects like spears, bows, and instruments. One person on the right is dressed differently, wearing a plain brown dress. This person has long black hair, and their body is turned to the left while their face is turned over their shoulder toward us, their eyes closed. In front of the group of people is a semi-circle of gray stones, within which are three large pots or vessels.