INSCRIPTIONS 127 motivation to return repeatedly unless he found the time with Balink better than tolerable. In three of these four paintings, Santiago wears a fringed hide shirt, which on close inspection has small spherical elements in the fringe at the shoulders. A shirt of this kind, indeed the exact match to the paintings, was owned by Balink and is remembered to have been used for reference (fi g. 8). It appears in at least two of his other paintings, where the subject is an individual identifi ed as Yellow Bird. The shirt is Kiowa or Kiowa Apache in origin and is a specifi c type. The spheres at the shoulders are mescal beans—not in any way associated with the Mexican liquor, but rather the seeds of the Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundifl ora). These were the focal point of a vision-seeking cult in the Central and Southern Plains, variously referred to as the Wichita Dance, Deer Dance, Whistle Dance, Red Bean Dance, and Red Medicine Society. Mescal beans are highly toxic but, used properly, can produce a hallucinogenic effect. As such, the mescal bean cult is closely associated with, and indeed the forerunner of, the peyote cult. Where did Balink get this shirt? No records are known to exist, but a photograph of Santiago by T. Harmon Parkhurst (fi g. 9), probably taken FIG. 8 (left): Man’s shirt. Kiowa or Kiowa Apache, Southern Plains. 1875–1900. Native tanned buckskin, green ocher, mescal beans. L: 101.6 cm. Ex Henry Balink Collection. Image courtesy of Splendid Heritage, Forrest Fenn Collection, item FCCL058. FIG. 9 (below): T. Harmon Parkhurst (1883–1952), Santiago Naranjo, Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, c. 1920. Silver gelatin print. 11.4 x 16.5 cm. Courtesy of the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives (NMHM/DCA), neg. 004165. in the 1920s, shows him wearing a fringed hide jacket with beaded embroidery at the cuffs and breast and mescal beans in the fringe at the shoulders, similar to the Balink shirt. The fact that Santiago was documented wearing a jacket with mescal beans does not necessarily mean that he was a member of this cult, as it could have simply been a trade item. However, given this association and the fact that he appears in multiple paintings wearing this shirt, it is not unreasonable to posit that it may well have passed from a Kiowa individual to Santiago, and from him to Balink. With thanks to J. Michael Chavarria, Governor of Santa Clara Pueblo; Frank Demolli, Chief Judge of the Santa Clara Pueblo Tribal Court; and Winfi eld Coleman.
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