Pair of Moccasins Item Number: 50.67.19a-b from the Brooklyn Museum
Description
This pair of moccasins is made of hide with beaded geometric designs in green, yellow and white. There are two beaded cross motifs (possibly a star) on the vamp of each moccasin. The triangular design down the front might indicate deer hoof, rope, person, rope deer hoof or buffalo hoof. The sinuous beding along the side may indicate pathways. Note: design signification cannot be definately determined as abstract designs can mean different things according to each maker.The cuff of each moccasin has been cut into points. Condition fair. Beadwork stable. Cuffs are slightly stiff.
Credit Line
Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund
Label
The Jarvis Collection
Many of the articles in this case (and the adjacent clothing case), some of the earliest and finest Eastern Plains pieces in existence, were collected by Dr. Nathan Sturges Jarvis, a military surgeon stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, between 1833 and 1836. Most items were made by the Eastern and Middle Dakota (Sioux) or by the peoples of the Red River region, including the Red River Métis, Anishinabe, Plains Cree, and Salteaux. Some of the objects were purchased by Jarvis, and some may have been given to him in exchange for his medical services.
These works demonstrate indigenous ingenuity in combining trade materials such as cloth, metal, and glass beads with traditional hides, pipestone, and porcupine and bird quills. For comparison, a few examples collected later by Nathan Jarvis, Jr., during his army service in the Western Territories among the Apache and other Plains peoples are also included. These items clearly show the later indigenous preference for multicolored glass trade beads.
Item History
- Made between 1800 and 1899
What
- Name
- Pair of Moccasins
- Identification Number
- 50.67.19a-b
- Type of Item
- moccasin and pair
- Material
- hide and glass bead
- Overall
- length 4.0 in, width 3.75 in, height 9.5 in
Who
- Culture
- Native American
Where
- Holding Institution
- Brooklyn Museum
When
- Creation Date
- between 1800 and 1899
Other
- Classification
- Clothing