Catlin journeyed in 1834 to the Southwestern Plains, where he encountered two distinct groups of Indians. Some tribes like the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, and Osage had recently been removed from their native lands to the area near Fort Gibson on the Arkansas River. Catlin painted members of these "civilized tribes" while waiting at the fort for the army's mounted Comanche Meeting the Dragoons, 1834-35 Comanche/Niuam oil 24 x 29 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr. dragoons to assemble for an expedition into still more distant regions. The artist was allowed to accompany them as they traveled to establish a U.S. presence and relations with the other tribes like the Comanche, Kiowa, Wichita, and Waco, who had little contact with Euro-American civilization.    All of the "untouched" Plains cultures Catlin most admired had been affected by Europeans, in no way more dramatically than by the acquisition of horses from the Spanish. An enthusiastic horseman himself, Catlin considered the Comanche the best of all Plains equestrians. He pointed out their adaptations of such Spanish techniques as the use of the lasso as well as practices they had developed on their own, including the use of their horse's body as a shield when firing upon enemies with bows and guns. Comanche Feats of Horsemanship, 1834-35 oil 24 x 29 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.