Grave Good

Grave robber disinters prize

Near site of Skidi village--

A silver medal,

Engraved with scenes--

                       "Brother, accept this token

                         of our esteem;"

Reverso depicts

Timber scaffolding 

Grim as Saint Joan's,

Built in river valley,

For ritual sacrifice

Of stolen Numunuu girl,

Timed to first sighting 

Of spring's morning star--

                        "always wear it for our sake,"

Disc obverse details

Petalesharro--

Pawnee Chief--rescuing

The terrified captive,

And guiding her to horses

Sequestered near trees-- 

                        "and when you have the power

                         to save a poor woman from death

                         and torture," 

On relic's rim,

Block letters bold 

As needlework sampler,

Proclaim,

TO THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE--

                        " think of this and of us and fly to her rescue."

And arc 

Like sun bow across sky--

Laura Stickney 2024

Notes:

Skidi village--Skidi-- one of four bands

of Pawnee people, near Palmer, Nebraska.

grave good--medal stolen in

1883 from burial site of Chief Petalesharro.

Saint Joan's-- Joan of Arc, 1412-1431. 

"Numunuu" is the Comanche word for themselves, "the people."

Pronounced, "Na-Men-Nah." 

Medal was created by Washington D.C., female 

seminary students to honor Chief Petalesharro for his

rescue of Comanche girl in 1816. Poem's statements in quotation marks

are from letter written by the school girls in 1821--to the Pawnee Chief--

when he was gifted with the medal during his trip to

to meet with President Monroe. 

Sunbow-- an arch resembling a rainbow made by the sun

shining through mist.

images are front and back view's of Chief Petalesharro's medal as found.