WANDUTA PORTRAIT OF A CHIEF Red Arrow Sioux Dakota Silver Coin 50$ Canada 2016

The reverse design by Canadian artist Darlene Gait features a full-face portrait of Wanduta (Red Arrow), a Sioux Valley Dakota Chief who defended the community's ceremonial dance rites when such activities were prohibited under the Indian Act. The full application of colour over the engraving captures the beautiful complexities of Wanduta's traditional regalia, circa 1913. Finely detailed engraving adds texture to the eagle feathers that adorn the full headdress, as well as the beautifully coloured beads that are woven in a geometric design on the headband above Wanduta's brow. Around the spiritual healer's neck is a treaty medal—a symbolic display of a Dakota leader's peaceful intentions and a reminder of historic alliances with the British. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.