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  SANTEE SIOUX, QUILL-DECORATED TOBACCO BAG, ca 1880
Dimensions (inches): Frame - 16.75" x 12.5", Bag - 10" x 6.75"
Description:
Native American, porcupine quill-decorated tobacco bag, made of hide, with a tapered form, scalloped along the top. The imagery includes floral designs and two birds, executed in red, blue, violet and yellow.

This type of bag would have been used for daily smoking (often with a smaller daily smoking pipe), possibly by a woman but could have been used by a man in place of his more fancy dress large pipe bag and ceremonial pipe. Quill decoration is generally earlier and more desired than beadwork, though the two styles of decoration overlapped for many years. Here the dye colors indicate the 1880's.

The Santee Sioux represent one of three primary divisions based on the Siouan dialect and subculture. The other two are the Yankton and the Teton Sioux. The Santee Sioux were originally located in what is now a combination of the extreme eastern parts of North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Northern Iowa. After white occupation, they were removed to reservations in Nebraska, where the tribe is largely located today.

Mounting: The reddish-brown paint-decorated molding had a beveled profile and dates to the period between 1830 and 1860. The bag has been hand-stitched to a background of 100% hemp fabric. Spacers keep the textile away from the glass, which is U.V. protective.

Condition: The ties are mostly absent on the right-hand size. There are some losses in the quill. The bag presents beautifully.
   
Primary Color: tan, red, yellow
Earliest Date: 1875
Latest Date: 1885
For Sale Status: Available
Price $1,250
E-mail: info@jeffbridgman.com
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