This portrait depicts a young Snake Indian man identified as Chief Si-Roc-U-An-Tua who Miller met at the rendezvous. A bear claw necklace is the most prominent among the youthful subject’s varied accessories. According to Miller, such adornment was considered “a trophy” showcasing one’s “prowess in hunting the grizzly bear.” (Rough Draughts, 45) Elsewhere in his notes, Miller describes hunting grizzlies as “no child’s play, but downright dangerous sport. […] To hunt and capture the Grizzly bear is a signal [sic] honor, and is considered a great coup.” (Rough Draughts, 68)
For Miller, grizzlies were the most formidable animals he would encounter in the West and the struggle between man and this intimidating beast was an ideal romantic subject. Lisa Strong points out that Miller was often willing “to use fiction to create a romantic characterization of his sitter,” suggesting that in this portrait Miller “could as easily have included a bear claw necklace for its picturesque appearance as for its factual existence.” (Strong, “Fact and Fancy,” 37)
