In this work, Eastman highlights both the Minnesota landscape and the traditional nomadic lifestyle of the Dakotas. Men, women, and children—along with several dogs—travel through a verdant plain with their household possessions, on foot or horseback. Two of the children and the woman at the far right seem to regard the viewer curiously, a witty inclusion in that a 19th century viewer would have found their passage exotic and returned their questioning gaze. This work is one of nine scenes of traditional Northern Plains life that the House Committee on Indian Affairs commissioned from Eastman.
