His Winchester – Crow Warrior by James Ayers – 18″ x 24″ Original Oil
His Winchester features a Crow warrior carrying his Winchester “Yellow Boy” rifle, a powerful and feared weapon in its day. Beginning production in 1866, the rifle was a favorite of the Plains tribes because it was one of the first repeating rifles–warriors and hunters could shoot with it far faster than they could notch arrows into their bows.
The warrior is wearing a Hudson’s Bay Company trade blanket coat, very common in the Northern Plains into modern day Canada. Made of wool, these coats were highly sought after because they could retain heat even while wet. His hair is in a classic Crow style, with magpie and hawk feathers. He wears pipebone with some trade beads on the sides of his hair.