Native American, Northern Plains, Crow, ca. mid/late 20th century CE. Beaded bag constructed from native tanned deer hide with a striking beaded composition comprised of glass trade beads in a myriad of colors - pink, periwinkle blue, cobalt blue, maize yellow, cherry red, spring green, and white - arranged in a design featuring rows of tribal geometric motifs that together make for an elegantly balanced, symmetrical presentation. The bag is also trimmed with a generous fringe of metal bead and deer hide tassels. A braided carrying strap, also made of deer hide, extends across the upper end and is sewn to the bag at the center point. In addition, there is an old metal striker inside the bag - suggesting that this bag was used for carrying fire starter supplies, since Native Americans made specialized bags for carrying various objects. Size: 8.75" W x 5.5" H (22.2 cm x 14 cm); 12" H (30.5 cm) including fringe

One of the most cherished forms of art practiced by Native Americans is beadwork. Prior to the European arrival and the advent of glass in the Americas, tribes traded bead materials such as shells or region-specific stones across hundreds of miles in order to create artwork. Indeed, glass beads were among the first trade goods that passed from Europeans to indigenous peoples in the Americas. By the 1840s, the refinement of glass bead manufacturing techniques in Venice and Bohemia, where these tiny glass "seed" beads were made, brought about their trading in the Americas.

The Crow, or Apsaalooke, originally lived in the Great Lakes region in the Ohio Territory and in time moved westward to the Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming territories - including the Yellowstone River valley.

Provenance: ex-private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection

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#138123

Normal aging to the hide and beads. Metal beads on fringe have nice age patina. Slight darkening to some glass beads. Otherwise, this bag is generally excellent.