Rendered in pastel on a textured coquille paper, Linda Combs’ drawing of Chief Washakie— legendary leader of the Shoshone people— depicts Washakie in his later years, silver-haired but still
a powerful man. He holds a peace pipe in one hand, perhaps to commemorate his prodigious skills as a diplomat and statesman. His clothing speaks to his position straddling two cultures: a western plaid shirt and silk neckerchief fastened with a disk of horn, and also a full eagle feather headdress. Washakie, a legendary warrior, initially tried to stop the pioneers’ westward movement and guard the Shoshone land from settlement— which at one time spanned all the way from the Salt Lake Valley in the South, to the Tetons in the North. Washakie later became a respected and effective diplomat, negotiating and re-negotiating Shoshone territory as western settlers increasingly moved in. He is said to have promoted goodwill and peace amongst the nations even as his world changed dramatically.
The county doesn’t have information on the artist of this piece, other than the signature and date at the bottom of the painting. The piece was discovered at Deseret Industries by Lucie Washakie who recognized the historical significance of the piece and donated it to the county. Lucie Washakie is the great-great-great granddaughter of the statesman.
