The lot features a pair of fantastic fully beaded hide moccasins with hard parfleche soles, dating to the third quarter of the 19th Century from the Sioux Native American Indians. The piece has an old museum tag that is marked, “A-5 Black Kettle Sioux”, and is sewn under the tongue, corresponding with the “A-5” handwritten on the sole of the accompanying moccasin. Black Kettle could be a reference to being from the Chief Black Kettle (Moke-ta-ve-to / Mo'ohtavetoo'o born 1803, died 1868) family. Chief Black Kettle was a prominent Southern Cheyenne leader during the Indians Wars and married into the Wotapio/ Wutapai band (of Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne-Kiowa mix), which would lend to the tag and Sioux origin. The set shows a stiffened Indian tanned hide, which is completely covered in sinew sewn glass trade seed cen beads in a traditional geometric pattern, all being of the correct 1800’s period and extending down the tapering, long, tail-like tongue. The beadwork has a chalk white background with pattern in cobalt, greasy green, and red white heart. The top of the ankle has a fraying blue trade cloth piping, which appears to be thread sewn. The base shows parfleche rawhide hard soles and the entire moccasin appears to be sinew sewn in construction, a true attribute to age. The moccasins show very little-to-no bead loss with some minor separation in the sewing and stiffening of hide. This is truly a phenomenal pair of 1870’s moccasins in well-preserved museum condition. Provenance: From a private museum collection in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region of France. Each moccasin measures approximately 8.5” L across the sole by 3 3/8” W and 3.25” H at the ankle. The tongue is approx. 5.75” L.

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