Wi-jún-jon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pigeon's Egg Head
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| Wi-jún-jon | |
Portrait by George Catlin, 1831
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| Assiniboine leader | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1796 |
| Died | 1872 |
| Nickname | The Light |
Wi-jún-jon, also called Pigeon's Egg Head or The Light (1796–1872) was a Native American chief of the Assiniboine tribe, which was located in the Great Plains. He is best known as the subject of a painting by George Catlin, a dual portrait portraying him on the left side of the portrait in traditional garb and on the right side in contemporary Anglo-American garb after he was assimilated following a visit to Washington, D.C., in 1832.
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Caitlin wrote that Wi-jún-jon "exchanged his beautifully garnished and classic costume" for
a suit of "broadcloth, of finest blue, trimmed with lace of gold; on his shoulders were mounted two immense epaulets; his neck was strangled with a shining black stock and his feet were pinioned in a pair of water-proof boots, with high heels which made him 'step like a yoked hog'."
A print based on the painting, showing Wi-jún-jon wearing Assiniboine dress and a Western suit, titled Wi-jún-jon, Pigeon's Egg Head, Going to Washington, returning to his house, became quite popular, appearing in a German magazine, Die Gartenlaube in 1853.
