This shield
was drawn on the computer from an ink sketch from my
travel sketchbook. The original was on display at Fort Larned in central
Kansas,
along the Santa Fe Trail.
The large shield of stretched hide displays a scalp of human hair--beaded and
tied with red ribbon. Six white feathers were tied to one side. A yellow circle with
a red outline was painted just below center.
The shield was not attributed to any one tribe,
but the display label mentioned that
Kiowa, Kiowa Apache, Comanche, Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians
all resided in the area.