Donald McKay Patent Medicine Flyer -- Depicting Native American Heroes in Advertising

United States: N.p., 1880. Very good. A couple water stains, horizontal fold.. A fascinating look into how patent medicine companies in the late 1800s used depictions of Native Americans in advertising to promote their products. In this example, an image of Donald McKay is used to promote two cure-alls, "Ka-Ton-Ka" and "Indian Oil" (each claiming to treat everything from dyspepsia to "female weaknesses"). Donald McKay (c.1836-1899) was the son of a fur Trader and a Cayuse woman from the Umatilla tribe in the Pacific Northwest. McKay worked as a translator for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1850s, and led the Warms Springs Indian Scouts during the Madoc War of 1872-3. After the War he made his living by touring the country in the then-popular "Wild West" shows and, interestingly, by agreeing to help promote patent medicines by using his name as a part of multiple branding campaigns. It is unclear what percentage of the product's profits he received to help support his family. This item is a fascinating example of 19th century American advertising ephemera using (exploiting?) a Native American man's identity as a war hero to sell products. It leads to an important question: is McKay's ethnicity and race being exploited here to sell products to White customers, or is his complicity in selling the products empowering and providing opportunity for himself and his family? The language bears all the signs of exploitation (the product name "KA-TON-KA!" really screams it), but it might not be so cut and dry, as McKay is also described here glowingly as the "greatest" fighter of his time. Single sheet (10" by 4.25"), image of McKay on one side, printed on pink paper. 1 cent stamp affixed to one side. (Inventory #: 21001495)