By exchange

Museum Expedition 1903, Museum Collection Fund

Low wooden box with lid, undecorated except for lid which has an incised star motif. Box is made from a solid piece of wood. Box is empty. Box has #8980 in pencil on bottom.

The object is a miniature teepee cover. On a natural background there are painted designs in brown, pink, black and grey. They represent a battle scene (possibly a horse raid) and include two mounted Indians, two leading horses, and two fallen warriors. Also shown are four warriors with rifles, hoof prints of horses, and, near the top, three stylized feather designs. Good example of miniature tipi even though not made quite correctly-too upright. Design: hoof prints indicate movement. The person hurt and lying down might be Pawnee or Osage based on the hairstyle and might have been done in by the one with the rifle. One is wearing military pants. The horses tails are tied and decorated and must be favorite warhorses as their manes are also tied. Can't tell who or what the person with the lines on his face is. Dots might indicate a person who had small pox.

This is the center piece from a three part pipe that would have consisted of a mouthpiece, then this section and then a bowl, probably catlinite (pipestone) or another soft stone.

This hammer has a catlinite hammer with a wooden handle covered with rawhide sewn over and around the center of the hammer. The red catlinite is tapered on each end and has three grooves around it on each end either side of the wood and hide holding it on. This might have had a decorative horsetail hanging from it. Such clubs were used in dances before a hunt and had symbolic and ceremonial function not a war function. Members of a society carried these as badges of honor and emblems of office.

Dick S. Ramsay Fund

This fan has a hide handle that has each side beaded differently from the other, one side blue, green, red and white beads, the reverse side red, blue and white. Both sides have a cross in the design. A hide thong is dyed green and tied to one side of the handle. Small eagle feathers are arranged in front of larger eagle feathers and tucked into the fan handle hide.

A war club with an attached metal blade. A twisted cotton cord is attached to the handle. The object's decoration is done by chip carving and incising. Fourteen headless figures are shown on one side of the club and an Indian head is etched onto the metal blade. Possible explanation: The designs cut into the end of the club in rows of triangular shapes represent tipis. Probably, the scene depicted is a recounting of the exploits of the owner of the club. The figure on the end holds a feathered lance or staff, possibly a medicine man. The others, all male that are facing another single male, are men that he touched (coup counting) or killed.

Special Improvement Fund