AN UNUSUAL PLAINS BEADED AND FRINGED HIDE TOBACCO BAG

POSSIBLY CHEYENNE OR LAKOTA

Details

AN UNUSUAL PLAINS BEADED AND FRINGED HIDE TOBACCO BAG
POSSIBLY CHEYENNE OR LAKOTA
Sinew sewn, beaded in translucent red and green, dark blue, greasy yellow against bright blue lazy-stitched ground, decorated with bar elements along each side, lower section depicting stylized "double woman" images, below parfleche slats wrapped with ivory and red dyed porcupine quillwork, pairs of tin cone suspension with inserted red dyed horsehair as trim
35in. (88.9cm.) long

Provenance

Sotheby's New York, May 19, 1998, lot 151

Lot Essay

This exceptionally rare tobacco bag portrays the myth of Double Woman of the Lakota people. Double Woman Dreamers (Winyan Nonpapika Ihanblapi) have great spiritual power and excel in everything they make. But part of the cost of this power is that they also start to act like a crazy woman (lila witkowin) having many husbands and acting deceptively. Thus, she portrays the very best and very worst of Lakota womanhood ideals. "Whoever dreams in this way seems to be crazy (witkotkoke selececa) but then everything she makes is very beautiful," (Tyon, Lincoln, 1980).

Paul Raczka March 14, 2000

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