Career
They were based in present-day Nebraska. She was described by those who met her as beautiful and charming. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) commissioned Charles Bird King to paint portraits of Hudjihini and Shaumonekusse.
Shortly after her visit, Hudjihini died of measles, probably contracted during her travels.
When Chief Mahaska of the Ioway tribe saw Eagle of Delight"s portrait in winter 1836-1837 on a visit to Washington District of Columbia, and was certain that she was his mother. However, at nearby King"s gallery, a copy of Eagle of Delight"s portrait hung next to the portrait of Rantchewaime (Female Flying Pigeon), his mother, who he recognized by her fan.
The two women had often dressed in similar colors, and braided their hair the same way. The copy of Eagle of Delight"s portrait had added the blue forehead spot, the mark of royalty, which helped him tell the two women apart.
Although the original portrait of Eagle of Delight was destroyed in a fire at the Smithsonian Institution in 1865, a patron donated King"s personal copy to the White House in 1962.
The portrait now hangs in the White House Library.
