Bequest of W.S. Morton Mead

This is a long, wood pipe stem. Half way along it is straight and undecorated. In the center a decorated section of porcupine quills, horsehair and bird scalp preceeds a twisted form.

Bequest of W.S. Morton Mead

Plain deerskin, double thickness woman’s belt with blue pony beads wrapped around both edges. Small black seed beads are used near the fringes. At one time the end fringes were wrapped with orange quills, now mostly dissappeared.

These leggings are constructed with a long "tab" at each hip, near the top and above each outer seam. Below these tabs the outer seams on the rest of both leggings are decorated with one vertical strip of porcupine quillwork on each, outlined with beads in red, white-centered red, and black. The small seed bead and the cornalined'allepo (the white-centered) beads are not usually found on garments this early. Long fringes ornament the outer seams and the base of each strand is wrapped with red porcupine quills. The top and bottom edges of the leggings have short fringes. Shorter tabs are sewn on the bottom. This is generally referred to as bottom tabbed leggings, a style that permitted the tabs to stream along after the wearer when walking, a fashion that existed for only a brief time.

Compared to many other Plains leggings this pair is exceptionally short at 25 inches in length. Most others average over 42 inches on the inside seam and some up to 48 inches, with up to 72 inches on the outside seam. The skin on these leggings is the same light color and texture as matching shirt 50.67.7a. They look new and unworn. The leggings are decorated with a single flap, which are cut into short fringes. These fringes are wrapped with alternating red and blue quills. The top of the leggings have every other fringe cut out to create a toothed effect. Like the shirt, these leggings may be unfinished. There are no ties on the upper portion for looping to a belt or fastening at a thigh flap. However, both leggings have a dart sewn at this area, perhaps indicating that a tie was once attached. There is the possibility that these leggings were made in the Metis fashion, observed on several scouts,as knee high only. This would make them the same length as women's leggings. See Jarvis supplemental file in Arts of Americas office.

This dress shirt matches leggings 50.67.7b-c. A lack of ornamentation suggests it may be unfinished (compare this sparse ornamentation to 50.67.4). The shirt has no pierce work, loom-woven quillwork, or ornamentation on the cuffs. At the neck flap, however, there is an outline of blue beads and at intervals below, an additional two and three bead linear arrangement. There are simply decorated rosettes of concentric rings on either side with centers of plain white skin. Going outward from these centers are rings of quills: light blue; white; red; and a combination of blue and yellow. Following the quills is a ring of white skin, and an outer circle of blue beads. When cleaned in 1992, a fringe damaged by old insect damage became detached at the center of the proper left shoulder. The edges of the torn section were backed and reattached.

These leggings match 50.67.3a. The treatment of the skin of the leggings seems close to that of the shirt in texture and color as well as similar to the leggings of 50.67.9a-b. However, the color of the painting on the shirt and leggings differ with the shirt having red and black pigment and the leggings painted a reddish brown. The leggings show signs of use. The top is stretched and the ties twisted to conform to how they would have been tied. The leggings have tabbed bottoms, cut short across the top of the inset. The internal fringe is quite long, some 10 1/2 inches at the longest. Both leggings are painted with horizontal stripes, the proper right with nine stripes and the left with ten. The color varies from orange on the front to brown on the back.

This shirt is constructed with very little tailoring. It is left open at the sides and a triangular bib is sewn on at the neck. This bib is decorated with blue pony beads, patterned with rows of triangles. Strips made of porcupine quillwork and maidenhair fern stems have been placed on the arms, shoulders and as epaulets. Long buckskin fringes have been added at the sides of the shirt, the bottom, and the sleeves. The shirt is dyed a yellowish-orange color. On the proper right side, many narrow, brown, horizontal bands that are bisected at one end have been painted. These have been said to stand for horse whips. On the proper left, four hourglass shapes, almost completely filled in with black, have been painted. They have been said to stand for cloth or blankets. The triangular neck flap is beaded somewhat differently from front to back. The front shows two rows of triangles whereas the back includes a third row that contains two triangles. The blue beads visually square off the pointed end of the skin and are similar to the design on Jarvis shirt 50.67.1a.

Along the outside edge of each legging is a strip of quillwork, with red, a white and a purplish-brown stripe. The strip is edged on one side with blue pony beads and on the other with white seed beads. The back of each legging is decorated with horizontal brown painted stripes. Side tabs at the top are sewn on separately, as are the flaps for the heels.