Apsáalooke Tradition

Alaxchíiahush with his hair unbraided, 1906

Alaxchíiahush with his hair unbraided. In Apsáalooke tradition, men undid their braids upon completion of a task or after returning from a war party. This tradition stems from their creation story, in which God undid his braids after he finished creating the Apsáalooke people. The top of Alaxchíiahush’s hair is cut in a pompadour to mimic the bangs of a bull buffalo, an important part of Apsáalooke life and culture.

Alaxchíiahush wearing his war shirt decorated with ermines, ca. 1920

Alaxchíiahush wearing his war shirt decorated with ermines. Each ermine represents an Ashkápe / War Deed. The number of ermines on the shirt indicates that Alaxchíiahush was a proficient warrior. According to Apsáalooke anthropologist and scholar Aaron Brien, Alaxchíiahush was a “bad-ass dude.”