Running Rabbit, Blackfoot (c.1900 CE)

Running Rabbit is a photographic portrait of an elder from the Blackfeet Nation, captured around 1900 by the American photographer Edward S. Curtis. The image shows him standing frontally, holding a ceremonial staff, and wearing richly decorated traditional attire. It immediately commands attention. Through his posture, his clothing, and the staff he carries, Running Rabbit appears not simply as an individual sitter, but as a figure of authority whose presence reflects both personal dignity and the wider cultural identity of his people. The portrait offers a first glimpse into Blackfeet life at a moment of profound historical change, while honoring the role of elders as keepers of memory, ceremony, and social knowledge.

The Blackfeet World at a Time of Upheaval

Running Rabbit belonged to the Blackfeet Nation, an Algonquian-speaking people whose homelands stretched across the northern plains of present-day Montana and Alberta. Historically, the Blackfeet were nomadic bison hunters, and their material life, seasonal movement, and spiritual traditions were closely bound to the prairie world. By the late nineteenth century, however, that world had been shaken by immense disruption: the destruction of the bison herds, forced confinement to reservations, epidemics, and repeated conflict with the United States government. Yet Blackfeet cultural life did not disappear. It endured, often under pressure, through adaptation and continuity. In that context, elders such as Running Rabbit held special importance, preserving ceremonies, oral histories, and social knowledge at a time when much of traditional life was under threat.

Name, Staff, and Ceremonial Meaning

His name, translated into English as “Running Rabbit,” carries symbolic force. Among many Northern Plains peoples, the rabbit could be associated with speed, intelligence, and survival, qualities admired in a person and meaningful within a wider cultural vocabulary. In Blackfeet life, names were not always fixed; they could change in response to major life events, visions, or personal accomplishments. The ceremonial staff he holds deepens that sense of identity. It is not simply a walking stick, but a visible sign of ritual authority and responsibility. Decorated staffs could mark leadership, spiritual experience, or participation in important ceremonies, and an elder bearing one might serve as an advisor, guide, or respected voice in communal life. In the portrait, the staff helps define Running Rabbit as a man whose authority rests not only in age, but in earned spiritual and social standing.

Dress as a Record of Status and Experience

The clothing worn by Running Rabbit is equally rich in meaning. His tunic or vest, likely made from deer or elk hide, was probably intended for ceremonial use rather than ordinary daily wear. Such materials were valued not only for their strength and beauty, but also for the qualities they evoked: the deer for alertness and grace, the elk for endurance and power. The garment’s geometric patterns—circles, triangles, and diamond-like forms made through beadwork or painted design—would have carried specific associations. Circles placed on the chest, for example, could suggest the sun, the cycle of life, or spiritual protection; repeated forms might also allude to visions, achievements, or ceremonial distinctions. Vertical elements near these motifs may indicate participation in ceremonial societies or ritual dances. The staff and clothing therefore work together as a visual language. They do not simply decorate the sitter; they tell a story about his standing, his experiences, and his place within Blackfeet society.

Print and Preservation

The photograph itself is a single photographic print, with Curtis prints from this period often measuring around 20 × 25 centimeters (7.9 × 9.8 inches). Today it is preserved in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Through that preservation, Running Rabbit continues to speak across time, conveying the authority, dignity, and cultural knowledge carried by Blackfeet elders at a pivotal historical moment.