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Seminole
or Creek (Southeast, United States)
Shoulder Bag, 1820-1830
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| Beautifully
embroidered bead shoulder bags are among the finest
artistic accomplishments of Seminole and Creek women.
During the 19th century, when Native American people
were experiencing extreme cultural upheaval and tribal
wars against relocation, these bags were worn with pride
by Indian leaders as part of their best dress for negotiations
and other special occasions. Their distinctive style
consists of a square pouch with a triangular flap opening
and a broad shoulder strap. The shoulder bags were first
executed by finger weaving, then, in the early 19th
century, the women learned new sewing techniques using
commercial wool cloth. The cloth was cut to shape, sewn,
and decorated with embroidered glass-bead designs. The
women either used ancient designs deriving from the
Mississippian period or they created significant new
curvilinear and geometric designs. The designs on this
shoulder bag have spiritual significance. Scrolls representing
breath or puffs of smoke are said to be symbolic of
the Creator, Breathmaker. The small cross in the center
of the flap represents the four directions of the logs
of the sacred fire. |
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Navajo
(Southwest, United States)
Germantown Eye-Dazzler Blanket, 1875-1890
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| After
years of warfare, the Navajo people were defeated by
the United States in 1864 and force-marched into exile
at Bosque Redondo in eastern New Mexico, where they
remained until 1868. This period of exile was also a
transitional period in Navajo weaving because of the
availability of new materials and exposure to the serrate
design styles of Spanish colonial weavers in the Rio
Grande Valley. Blankets and rugs from the late transitional
period were woven in a wide variety of brilliant-colored
yarns from commercial mills in Germantown, Pennsylvania.
Because Germantown yarns were more uniform in diameter
than handspun yarns, their use made possible a more
evenly battened weft and thus a style of finely woven
textiles with complex arrangements of small serrated
zigzag patterns. The blankets made from these yarns
became known as “eye-dazzlers” because of
the visually stunning combinations of bright colors
and explosive patterns. This innovation is considered
uniquely Navajo, an example of experimentation with
newly introduced materials. Dismissed by rug traders
as too garish for commercial sales, eye-dazzler blankets
were widely accepted and worn by the Navajos. This blanket,
woven of shaded yarns, which are rarely seen in Germantown
blankets, reflects the aesthetic taste and creative
talents of the weaver.
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Anasazi
(Southwest, United States)
Pronghorn Antelope Effigy Vessel, 1000-1200
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| In
the Southwest during a period from approximately 1000
to 1200, there was considerable cultural intermingling
among the Anasazi, the Hohokam, and the Mogollon and associated
Tularosa and Mimbres peoples, and this is clearly evident
in their art. This effigy vessel is decorated with black-on-white
geometric painting in the style of the Tularosa and the
Mimbres. It is formed in the shape of a pronghorn antelope,
a popular subject selected for ceramic effigy figures
and pottery decoration. The pair of horns in this example
have been carefully modeled as have other attributes of
the animal, such as the eyes, the tail, and the simplified
legs. Even though the animal is recognizable as a pronghorn,
it has avian attributes, notably a beak. |
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Tlingit
(Northwest Coast, Canada/United States), Teikweidi people
(Bear Clan)
Chief's Frontlet Headdress, late 19th century
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| Of
all Northwest Coast artistic creations, masks have the
greatest sculptural variety. They were worn at such social
ceremonies as feasts and potlatches, at winter initiation
ceremonies, and during magic and curing rituals performed
by shamans. Often the exact significance of a mask has
been lost because such information was only known by those
who owned and used them. In the north, among the Tlingit,
Tsimshian and Haida, masks were most often used at feasts
and potlatches. The head of a family would wear the specific
mask that represented the crest animal of his clan while
he acted as host, delivered speechless and led and observed
the dances that were held to reenact the myths of the
family. Closely allied in use and significance are the
headdress frontlets. These are rectangular, oval, or round
convex carvings that were attached to elaborate headdresses.
They were worn of high ranking people to emphasize their
status and position, and carved to represent legends,
totemic crests or episodes in a particular clan's history.
This mask is called Kijook or Golden Eagle and was used
by the Teikweidi people, who are also known as the Bear
Clan. |
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