The basket for these prayer sticks has never been located. This impressive set has 101 prayer sticks of different sizes, colors, and patterns, strung together. Some singers kept a "sample" roll of prayer sticks to aid in making the ones used in all the various chants. This possibly might be a sample roll and never had a basket. It also might have been made for display purposes as usually the prayer sticks were destroyed during the ceremonies.

Also called a storage bag, tipi bag or possible bag. The beads are sewn with sinew in a 'lazy stitch'. Kroeber called the design a transverse bar or lengthened checker pattern. Bag is beaded on one side with a decoration of crossed and abstracted forms in red, blue, gold and green. The edges are also beaded with metal jingles and orange dyed horsehair decorations. The two-ended pitchfork type design is typically Sioux. It is Central Plains but not Cheyenne or Arapaho. Bead workers would also do this type of beading to show off their expertise so some were also made to be ornamental or given away as gifts.

This otter skin cap tail would generally be worn around the neck or attached to a choker. It has a side edge of loom beadwork in white with red and blue designs. The blue cloth heart on the top edge is edged in white and red and is beaded on the reverse side. The support material which is hidden by the fur is covered with reverse appliqué ribbon work which conceals the fur fold and seams.

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.

This extremely fine dress was collected from a Zuni girl in Ojo Caliente in the summer of 1895. The diamond twill borders and designs woven in red are characteristic of Navajo mantas that were worn as dresses and shawls by Pueblo women (mainly at Acoma and Zuni between about 1850-1880).

Brooklyn Museum Collection

Cheyenne or Sioux tipi or possible bag because of the stripe quill pattern and Arapaho, Gros Ventre for the edges of the beadwork. It is a very nice example even if the flap isn't decorated. There is some yellow ochre rubbed into the hide. Venetian beads and sinew sewn.Tipi or possible bag beaded on one side with metal jingles, dyed horsehair decorations, dyed feathers, and porcupine quill decorations. Really nice example with intact quillwork.

Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund

This Kachina doll is probably Qotsamanavitu, Snow Maiden. The doll characteristically has no arms and is carved with a cylindrical body. The head has two spools (similar to the historical hair style worn by unmarried Hopi women.) This Kachina accompanies the Hemis Kachina during the Niman ceremony-performed at the mid-summer and ends the Kachina cycle. The Hemis sing in low voices while the Snow Maidens sing in high voices. In the second part of the dance they kneel and play their gourd/rasp violins. Their songs are prayers for rain and a full harvest.

Weaving tool.