The lot features a fully beaded strike-a-lite flat bag from the Apache Native American Indians in an iconic Medicine Bag pattern associated with the Thunder Power, dating to circa 1940-1950’s. The piece was collected from the White River Indian Reservation in Arizona from the Apache and is comprised of Indian tanned hide and trade cloth accented by glass trade seed beads in a geometric pattern. The piece has a medicine Thunder Power pattern down the center in cobalt and chalk white, with the end of the bolt faceted in metal and further accented in colors of greasy blue, red white heart, greasy yellow, semi-transparent red, sky padre blue, Cheyenne pink, semi-transparent green, and semi-transparent yellow. The beadwork extends on both sides of the bag, the outer fancy edge, and along the flap bag opening. The bag itself has a traditional trapezoid pattern found on most strike-a-lite bags. The bag has a braided or twisted Indian tanned hide top belt strap loop with a single, greasy padre, wound glass, blue 1800’s trade bead. The bag opening is sewn into the bag itself with a strand of Indian tanned hide, which extends as fringes beneath the flap and covered in 1800’s trade beads, such as solid brass beads, cut faceted Czechoslovakian beads, wound glass beads, and ending in conch shells. The base shows Indian tanned fringes with rolled tin jingle cones, along with four Indian tanned hide fringes (two at each corner), which are also covered in 1800’s trade beads, such as cut faceted Czechoslovakian beads in cobalt/green/yellow/and semi-transparent, wound glass beads, and a single solid brass hawk trade bell. The back of the bag shows two four-point morning stars with a “U” river or snake-like border wrapping down and around the bag. The inside of the bag is lined with a mustard trade cloth calico. Overall, the bag is in well-preserved condition, with little-to-no bead loss and supple hide. Provenance: From a private museum collection in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region of France. The bag measures 15.5” L with top strap and bottom fringes; the bag area itself, without bottom fringe or top strap, is 4.25” x 2.5” W.

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