WARRIMEH BOSETH

"In the 1890's an armless boy was exhibited in this country  in the exotic mode of the "Hand-Footed Indian Hunter".  The young man, Warrimeh Boseth, was in his mid teens when he was allegedly "discovered" living with his "tribe" in Vancouver, Canada, by a "ubiquitous freak-finder."  As the story went, the boy was a "natural" hunter and shot his prey with a bow and arrow that he held between his feet while lying on his back.  One observer saw and described Warrimeh as exhibited in a dime museum in New Orleans: he was dressed in a makeshift "indian outfit," which included beads and a feathered headdress, and included in his presentation was an archery exhibition in which he shot live pigeons on the wing, to the thunderous applause of the audience."

William Fitzgerald; "Side-show II"; Strand Magazine, April 1897

"Another notable example of the skill which a deformed person can acquire was seen recently in London, when an armless Indian gave an exhibition of shooting with a bow and arrow.  After practicing for years in his native forests, he found himself able to shoot with his feet just as well as the ordinary person can with his hands, indeed better, since there are few who could win a first prize at a pigeon math by shooting with a bow and arrow, as he has done." - 1900

I strongly suspect this performer was not a Native American.  The imprint on the photo is of the firm "Brown, Barnes & Bell"  art photographers who had seven studios throughout the U.K.  This, coupled with the fact that the Strand was British publication indicates Boseth's origins were European (possibly Norwegian) and that he was simply capitalizing on Europe's fascination with Cowboys & Indians.   Sidenote: In 1865 Barnum's American Museum had on its bill an armless Cherokee Indian named John Patterson.