The Medicine Man

The Medicine Man is a bronze statue in Fairmount Park showing an indigenous healer on horseback with his fist raised toward the sky. The mounted figure wears feathered headdress and stands on a granite base, located in the eastern section of the park near the intersection of two major streets.

The sculpture was created in the 1890s and dedicated in Philadelphia in 1903 after being displayed at the Paris Salon. It was part of a larger artistic project to commemorate indigenous peoples through a series of mounted figures created over two decades.

The figure represents a spiritual healer significant to Native American traditions, conveying deeper meaning through ceremonial dress and gesture. Visitors can observe how the pose and regalia communicate the sacred role this figure held within indigenous communities.

The statue is located in the eastern section of Fairmount Park and is easily accessible on foot from nearby streets. The site is open to the public at all times since it is a public sculpture within an urban park.

The statue belongs to a series of four equestrian monuments created by the same artist across nearly two decades. This group of works was among the largest public monuments of its kind in America at that time, each representing different facets of indigenous experience.