Anonymous gift in memory of Dr. Harlow Brooks

Northern Plains area. The drum has a red painted patch glued onto drumhead. The design is a buffalo with a zigzag line around it but no power lines emanating directly from the buffalo. There are red areas of pigment on drumhead. Wool and hide fringe dangles from drum. Remnants of silk ribbons are attached with nails along the edge. It has a knot in the hide ties in the middle back. This was possibly made as a showpiece as would have been very awkward to hold and play. This is a drum that would have ceremonial significance These are specialized.

Brooklyn Museum Collection

Central Plains. This club would be carried in dances as a something that gave status and position to a man for instance the Buffalo Dance Society. Should not have any restrictions as these were individual ownership.

Brooklyn Museum Collection

Brooklyn Museum Collection

The object is a bow, a bow case, arrows and a quiver. Bow is inlaid with elk antler and decorated with bands of mallard duck neck skin. There is red dyed horsehair tufts at each end. Duck skin is used because for the Sioux the duck appears in all three levels of the world - sky, water and earth. The buffalo hide bow and quiver case has red and black pigment mixed with glue. Even lines of glue are used to create lines around the black triangles. The bow has an elaborate design on the surface created by inlaid sections of elk horn. On either side of the inlaid area is a red painted band, at the ends of which are mallard scalp feathers that have almost disappeared. The bow is backed with white-painted thread. Attached to each end of the bow are red horsehair ornaments. Also attached is a strip of red stroud cloth fastened around the handgrip. The bow case and quiver are made of buffalo hide and have sparsely painted designs. There are five configured designs: two on each side of the bow case and one on the quiver. The designs are made up of elongated diamond shapes divided in half with a small linking section between each repeated triangular part. All parts of the design are delineated with thin impressed lines. The triangles are filled in alternately with dark brown and red color. The small linking section is brown. The intensity of the colors is pale, perhaps from an application of sizing. From the bottom of the bow case hang hide tabs, with pierced decorations.

This Kachina represents Chaveyo and according to Barton Wright in "Classic Hopi and Zuni Kachina Figures" he is one of the most fearsome beings. If a youngster or an adult misbehaves badly this Kachina may come looking for him unless he mends his ways. The characteristic identifiers include nakedness, dots on legs and/or feet, crosses on his cheeks, and a cape thrown over the shoulders.This Kachina is in the grouping normally referred to as an ogre Kachina. It has bulging eyes and a protruding snout exhibiting a fierce aspect. In dances Chaveyo uses this ferocity to scare the children and even men into behaving. He appears during the Spring anytime but especially during the Powamuya (Bean Dance) and the Palolo Kongi (Water Serpent Dance) being badgered by clowns until he whacks them away.

Two pieces of horn put together. The handle is black and carved, the ladle is thin and amber colored.

This spoon is carved in one piece. The handle has five animal heads, very deeply carved and standing out along the handle. All the animals have abalone shell eyes.