Brooklyn Museum Collection

Seven dice in total: 5 round bone pieces and 2 falcon-shaped bone pieces. They are pictured in "Objects of Myth and Memory." Each die has a component of 11.694.9000.1a-g painted on it, e.g. 11.694.9000.1a.

A hide bag with two lobes on each end, red pigment all over and blue and white beads along all the edges. There is a slit along the middle side.

Set of Dice consists of one carved turtle and five disks of buffalo bone. See 11.694.8974.1 for the bowl.

This is a flat, wooden pipe stem, painted blue-green at the bowl end. The end nearer the mouth piece is decorated with a combination of colored lines which are narrow strips of braided quillwork wrapped around to encircle the flat stem. These strips are carefully planned to create a striped design from the combination of narrow bands as they are stacked or lined up one after the other. The design is red, white, blue, and black on one side and different on the reverse, consisting largely of black triangles tipped with short horizontal bands and offset by long horizontal bands. The bands are colored blackish-purple, orange and white. A hide strap is covered with long white bird quill wrapped fringes. Red horsehair is tied on at both ends of the quillwork and bird scalps are also attached.

Two trade mirrors, one slightly larger than the other, are set into one side of a soft red wood paddle shaped frame. The top portion has a cutout opening shaped as a ball with a pointed top. Below the mirrors is another opening carved into the shape of a pointed ovoid. The wood on this side of the frame is chip carved and incised with lines rubbed with red and black, many of which look like elongated leaves. Below the mirrors are two triangular shapes with two extensions on each one, resembling the heads of horned animals. On the reverse side of the frame, a creature is incised. Clearly a quadruped with a heart line, its horns are placed at the juncture of its head and neck, and its tail transforms into a thunderbird. Below this is an irregular rectangle in double outlines of red and green with a petal shaped form at each corner. At the center of this shape is a red complex form made of two chevron shapes joined at their central points. On this side of the object, the pointed ovoid opening is outlined in red and green incised lines with red foliate form at one end and another small pointed oval at the other. Below this is a simple form in red line that mimics the shape of the end of the stick-like leaf forms within.

Gift of Mrs. Percy Jackson

Set of Dice consists of one carved turtle and five disks of buffalo bone. See 11.694.8974.1 for the bowl.

This would be called a warrior bag but it is missing its fringe. Stiff, poor condition. Sioux.

These messenger sticks are wood sticks tied with hide and a piece of membrane [possibly snake skin]. See also 11.694.9025 for visiting tobacco. Such sticks were sent by a messenger when a traveler was within a day's journey of his destination. His hosts were expected to give a small token in return.