Gift of the Native American Art Council in memory of Ilse and Henry Jacobson and Priscilla Zingeser.

Gift of the Native American Art Council.

Gift of the Native American Art Council.

Gift of Richard S. Ogelsby.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

As Plains Indian peoples were confined to reservations in the late nineteenth century, women artists, who created the majoirty of beadwork and quillwork, began to apply their skills to a wider variety of objects. [...] The fully beaded doctor's bag illustrates how beadworkers were able to take commercially made objects and turn them into uniquely Native American artistic expressions.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection. Collected: Elizabeth Cole Butler

After the introduction of horses, Plains Indian peoples became much more mobile. Horses allowed them to stay on the move, following the buffalo herds. By necessity, everything families owned had to be portable; they needed a variety of containers to pack belongings when the camp was moved. This pair of Lakota storage bags might have been mounted on saddle bags and would have held anything from clothing to food. They are made from tanned leather and decorated with porcupine quill embroidery across the front, with a beaded strip along each side and across the top flap. Tin cones and dyed horsehair further accent the beaded strips.