LIKELY LEWIS & CLARK INDIAN PEACE MEDALS

Following a thorough course of testing and analysis carried out earlier this year, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West has definitively authenticated a trove of rare and historically significant medals tied to key periods and events in the history of the American West spanning more than 100 years.

Some items in the collections have been hailed by experts as profoundly consequential, and are on view now at the Center in Cody, Wyoming.

Four of the medals, each a different Indian peace medals, are of the type that were handed out to Tribal members as part of treaty negotiations or other contact with U.S. Government representatives. One exceptionally rare such medal is one of only three of its kind taken by Lewis & Clark on their Corps of Discovery Expedition from 1804-1806.

All of the medals have long resided in the Plains Indian Museum's collections, and some had been previously displayed at the Center. But exact details about their origin and authenticity were not fully known until this summer, said Rebecca West, CEO and Executive Director of the Center of the West.

"We did not previously know the full extent of their significance in the cultural history of the American West, but we're always working to learn more about our collections," she said. "Consequently, we have now gained substantially greater understanding of their exceptional nature."

Among the medallions evaluated and authenticated are:

• A large Thomas Jefferson Indian peace medal—known as a "shell medal" made by joining together two outer shells as front and back, sandwiched over a solid core—which is one of only three such medals taken on the Corps of Discovery Expedition.
• A small Jefferson Indian peace medal, also a shell medal, which is one of only 16 of its kind taken on the expedition.
• Two other Indian peace medals, one awarded during the administration of Millard Fillmore (1850-53) and one from the Franklin Pierce administration (1853-57). Each is one of fewer than two dozen of its kind known to exist.
• Two so-called fur trader medals modeled after genuine Indian peace medals that were gifted to Natives by fur-trading companies. Each is one of only eight known of its type to exist.
• Additional medals of various kinds dating to as early as 1804 and as late as 1913. related artifacts.

Preliminary analysis of relevant documentation indicates a high likelihood that both Jefferson Indian peace medals were presented to Native recipients during the expedition, and the Center is conducting ongoing research to determine additional details about them and other medals. related artifacts.

Among the 33 medals from the Center's Plains Indian Museum examined and tested this summer, also included were additional other genuine medals similar to (but not the same as) Indian peace medals; genuine collector medals produced by the U.S. Mint; and so-called "fantasy" medals—forged peace medals struck by private individuals in an attempt to deceive recipients. Other medals were also determined to be counterfeits, including forged versions of George Washington oval peace medals, which have historically been highly subject to counterfeiting. related artifacts.

The rare and important genuine medals that were authenticated are "extremely important and add significantly to our history, and change the numismatic world," said Dr. Lawrence Lee, an independent numismatic specialist hired by the Center to evaluate the collection. Lee has curated museum collections and consulted with multiple institutions regarding their numismatic holdings, and is a specialist on Indian peace medals and related artifacts.

Scientific elemental analysis

In addition to Lee's physical inspection of the medals and supporting documentation, Center of the West Chief Conservator Beverly Perkins conducted an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of them.

XRF is a widely used, non-destructive technique that determines the elemental composition of materials, Perkins said. It allows for a metallurgical comparison of the specific alloys used in the medals to known benchmarks, much the way historical paintings, tapestries or ceramics are often authenticated, she said.

"Each of these genuine Indian peace medals has a unique and hugely significant historical backstory," Lee said. "They have such important provenances that each can stand alone as a momentous artifact from our nation's past."

Based on historical documents, notes and other authentication gathered and maintained with the medals, Lee said: "It might be possible to eventually trace two of the medals to their original recipients, which is quite rare."

Joy of discovery

"Collections are the soul of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and one of the greatest joys as a museum director is to discover new knowledge about individual pieces, whose histories are often mysterious," West said.

Plains Indian Museum Curator Hunter Old Elk said: "The Center has been and will continue to conduct extensive research on the history and specific provenance of these medals. As appropriate, we will consult with affiliated Tribes, as we do with all items in the Plains Indian Museum."

"This new discovery in the year of year of America's 250th birthday enriches the medals' historical and cultural significance to American history, and confirms both the physical and symbolic authority of the Plains Indian Museum," she said.

John Pack, executive director of consignments for Stack's Bowers Galleries, one of the leading U.S. numismatic auction houses, said he was glad to see the Center's medals get their moment in the spotlight.

Lawrence Lee, Hunter Old Elk, Rusty Rokita

Important symbols

"Indian peace medals are important symbols of trade, diplomacy and nation-building because they represented political alliances and diplomatics efforts," said Plains Indian Museum Curatorial Assistant Danielle L. Carpenter-Chatman, who worked closely with Lee during his analysis at the Center.

Typically, round or oval medallions of varying sizes and metal content, the medals were given out during the colonial era by French, British and Spanish government officials to Tribal leaders, often during negotiations over trade, treaties or other weighty matters. They included a decorative ribbon and were bestowed in a ceremony similar to modern Olympic medal presentations, Lee said.

After the Revolutionary War, the U.S. Government continued the tradition, although the U.S. Mint lacked the machinery to properly stamp a thick medal in the traditional style, Lee said. It relied for a time on private artisans and even British sources.

While serving as the nation's first secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter that peace medals were "an ancient custom from time immemorial," dating to a European practice of "giving medals or other marks of friendship to the negotiators of treaties, and other diplomatic characters, or visitors of distinction."

Jefferson's own profile appears on the peace medals he sent while president with Lewis and Clark. The tradition continued until the late 1800s, Lee said, although reverse-side images changed over time to depict scenes of agriculture, Christianity and domestic life as U.S. policy toward Tribes focused on cultural assimilation.

Rusty Rokita, a member of the Center's Board of Trustees, has helped research and fund recent analysis of the medals.

To learn more about the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, see:
https://centerofthewest.org/

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