Oó-je-en-á-he-a, Woman Who Lives in a Bear's Den

About this artwork

“This extraordinary length of hair amongst the Crows is confined to the men alone; for the women, though all of them with glossy and beautiful hair, and a great profusion of it, are unable to cultivate it to so great length; or else they are not allowed to compete with their lords in a fashion so ornamental (and on which the men so highly pride themselves), and are obliged in many cases to cut it short off.” George Catlin further explained that the “Crow women (and Blackfeet also) are not handso...

Art Historical Context

**Oó-je-en-á-he-a, Woman Who Lives a Bear's Den**1832) is a compelling bust portrait by George Catlin a pioneering 19th American artist dedicated to documenting Native American cultures. Painted during Catlin's travels among the Crow people of the Northern Plains, this work captures the striking features and traditional attire of its subject, a woman whose evocative name reflects the rich storytelling traditions of her tribe. As part of his ambitious effort to create a visual record of Indigenous life before European influence transformed it, Catlin produced hundreds of such portraits in the early 1830s, now treasured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Catlin's realistic style, rooted in Romanticism yet grounded in ethnographic observation, emphasizes the subject's dignified expression and details like her glossy hair parted at the forehead—a universal custom among Crow and Blackfeet women, often adorned with vermilion or red earth for reasons lost to history. He noted that Crow women, burdened with domestic labors and excluded from male rituals, dances, and ceremonies, wore their abundant hair shorter than the men's dramatic lengths, a point of tribal pride. This painting highlights gender roles in Crow society while showcasing Catlin's skill in rendering skin tones, fabrics, and adornments with vivid accuracy. Today, the artwork offers a window into vanishing traditions, reminding visitors of the Crow's resilience amid rapid cultural change. (198 words)

About the Artist

George Catlin · 1796–1872

George Catlin (1796–1872), born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Putnam Catlin and Polly Sutton—who had been captured by Native Americans during the 1778 Battle of Wyoming—initially pursued a legal career. Trained at Litchfield Law School, he was admitted to the bar in 1819 but abandoned law after two years to study art in Philadelphia in 1823. Self-taught as a portraitist, Catlin quickly gained ...