Early Plains (Arapahoe?) Beaded Hide Pipe Bag

Sioux (likely)

Hide, Glass Beads, Sinew, Tin | Item 2486

This pipe bag is likely Arapahoe and dates to around 1870 with very small beads. The hide appears to be young buffalo or elk. The workmanship is excellent as are the designs and strong use of color. The top has four, small tabs and the whole rim is beaded as are the edges of the tabs. There are two, thin lines of beading going from the rim to the beaded zone at the bottom of the bag. They are opposite to each other. The large, beaded zone in deep blue at the bottom is 3 1/2″ tall, and ends at the top with three hour glass shapes extending an additional 3/4″ into the hide. The designs are similar but different from front to back. Below the beaded zone is a layer of slats, made from parfleche and the paint on the parfleche is visible in the few areas were the quills are missing. At the base of the slats where the fringe starts is a row of green beads.

This is a striking bag with no restoration. The hide is supple and in good condition. The fringe is more stiff, but not brittle. The last two photos show the small tears just inside the top edge. These tears are mostly hidden by the top flaps.

The photos on the listing are lower grade. Please email me if you would like higher resolution photos for better clairty.