Pitamakan – Dawn of a Horse Thief depicts the young Piegan Blackfeet warrior Pitamakan (Running Eagle) returning at sunrise from a night raid, riding at the head of the captured herd with her father’s rifle raised. Her father had died in battle when she was young and she inherited his rifle and his role of provider and protector. She would dress in a shirt and leggings to slip out with the boys on raids to recover horses and protect the camp with proven skill. 

In the early 19th-century Northern Plains, where horse wealth defined status and survival, Blackfeet warriors like Pitamakan conducted daring raids against rival tribes such as the Crow, often under cover of darkness. She became infamous among her enemies for her bold horse thievery, earning a dangerous respect: any warrior who could claim her life would gain a badge of honor. Pitamakan ultimately died leading a retaliatory war party against the Flatheads around 1836.

Through oral histories and artworks like this, Pitamakan’s courage, skill, and legacy live on.  Her calm strength in the moment of return is preserved for us to remember.