A Scene From ‘1883’ Shows a Dutton Tradition From ‘Yellowstone’
1883 took Yellowstone fans back several generations of Duttons, showing the story of how the family settled in Montana. Traces of the modern-day Duttons’ traditions appear in 1883, giving context to the original series. One scene from 1883 between James and John parallels a scene from Yellowstone.
This tradition from ‘Yellowstone’ appeared in ‘1883’
Yellowstone fans may remember a scene from season 2 where John and Kayce take Tate hunting for the first time. After John warns Tate about the dangers of using a gun, they head into the woods. Tate kills his first deer, and John remarks that they must “blood” him.
Kayce wipes the deer’s blood across the face of his son Tate, explaining that they wear the blood of their first kill to honor the animal. “Killing is the one thing that everything on this planet does to survive, Tate,” John says. “It’s the one thing we all share. Now you share it too.”
The origins of this Dutton family tradition go all the way back to 1883. In the prequel series Margaret and Elsa volunteer to help the cowboys, so James must take a 5-year-old John hunting. He helps little John take down his first deer.
“It’s your first kill, so I’ve gotta blood you,” James says, wiping the deer’s blood on John’s face. James echoes the sentiment about honoring the animal. “When you kill things, son, it makes you a little less man, a little more animal,” James says. “We try to find the balance between them. That’s all life is.”
The Duttons aren’t the only people to wear the blood of their first kill
The practice of smearing blood on one’s face after a first kill isn’t unique to the Dutton family. Dan Schmidt on deeranddeerhunting.com explains, “Blood smearing is best described as a social ritual that initiates newcomers to the hunting ranks.”
“It is believed to have started in the 16th century by English fox hunters,” he continued. “Considered a rite of passage, a master huntsman would smear the blood of a hunter’s first fox on their cheeks and forehead. They would often use the fox’s tail to apply the blood.”
The Duttons continued other traditions from ‘1883’ to the modern day
This isn’t the first scene in 1883 that gives context to traditions and values in Yellowstone. The prequel series explains why the Duttons settled in Montana and guard the land with their life. After Elsa was shot with an arrow, James promised that where they buried her is where the family would stay.
In 1883, a Comanche man named Sam shows James how to break a stallion in the river. James is initially skeptical but is surprised by Sam’s quick success. The practice evidently continued all the way to the modern-day Duttons. In Yellowstone Season 1, Rip suggests working with a difficult stallion chest deep in the river.
Stream all episodes of 1883 on Paramount+ and Yellowstone on Peacock.
