Fritz Scholder’s Indian on Horse confronts the dramatized, romanticized image of the Native American embedded in American culture. A mounted warrior in full battle regalia remains upright, yet his head is violently struck away, while the horse’s glaring, ironic expression seems to challenge the viewer and beg’s the question of “well, what’s next?”. Referencing scenes made iconic through books, Wild West shows, and Hollywood films, Scholder transforms familiar imagery into a mirror of cultural misunderstanding and projection. Through bold color, distorted form, and emotional intensity, the work dismantles the mythic “Indian” and opens a space for dialogue on the anguish, resilience, and lived realities of Native experience.