Jewelry & Adornment

Joe Grandee Collection

While known mostly for complex geometric beadwork patterns, a number of Plains tribes produced bead and quillwork that incorporated floral designs. Among them are the Lakota (Sioux), Blackfeet, Crow, Kiowa and Cree.

Charles W. Hogan Collection, gift of Miriam S. Hogan

Bruce Caesar is the son of Julius Caesar, and an important artist who helped keep silversmithing alive as a viable Southern Plains art form. Bruce has continued in his father’s traditions, keeping this artistry at the forefront of the Native American art movement. He sees his work as an extension of a diverse tribal and cultural background. The Pawnee are part of the Plains tradition, while the Sac & Fox people originated in the Mississippi Valley. Bruce incorporates symbols and designs based on traditional beliefs but illuminated as part of the living culture.

Donated by Cliff and Carolyn Tuttle in memory of Connie Ogg and Fred and June Harner of Houston, TX

This large belt buckle includes 4 additional pieces that are not on display. Those additional pieces wrap entirely around the belt encircling the wearer. The primary motif on this buckle is Knife Wing—a half man, half eagle thunder being, who resides in the above world and is a protector of mankind.

Charles W. Hogan Collection, gift of Miriam S. Hogan

Arthur and Shifra Silberman Collection

This tiara is fashioned after a Caddo woman’s comb with tines (sharp points) extending all the way around the comb. The tiara or “crown” is part of the twentieth-century Pan-Indian movement and is widely made and used today. Style and design vary and illuminate distinct individual tribal characteristics.

Joe Grandee Collection

The beadwork on this pair of gauntlets showcases two distinct tree leaf patterns – a single maple leaf in light blue and two sawtooth oak leaves. Rocky Boy is a small reservation in northern Montana. It was established in 1917 and is home to the Chippewa Cree. Historically, the Chippewa lived in bands on both sides of the Canadian border around the Great Lakes region. The Cree occupied lands from eastern Canada into the Saskatchewan and Alberta provinces. The two tribes began migrating West during the 1700s and by the early 1890s had united in a search for a permanent home. The reservation was established through the persistent efforts of Rocky Boy, Little Bear, Kennawash, and Pah-nah-to. Rocky Boy Indian Reservation was named after Ah-se-ne-win, or Chief Stone Man – “Rocky Boy” evolved from the non-Indigenous misinterpretation.

Joe Grandee Collection

Native American depictions of animal life encompass a long history dating back thousands of years. Of particular importance were images of large animals such as bison, elk, and deer, which played a major role in sustaining life and in courtship and medicine rituals. This pair of gauntlets is somewhat unusual in that the image of the deer is secondary to the overall floral pattern.

Gift courtesy of Mr. James Aplan

Most examples of early floss embroidery were produced by tribes in the Canadian Sub-Arctic and Northern Plains regions. Embroidery is part of the same tradition as bead and quillwork. Most floss embroidery is a hard-twist silk thread, although cotton floss was also used. Like glass beads, embroidery thread was available at some of the trading posts.

Traders sold flat pieces of brass and copper, as well as other commercial materials, to Native Americans during the mid to late 1800s. Occasionally Native artisans would recycle materials such as brass, tin, and other metals from pots, pans, ammunition casings and a variety of other resources, fashioning them into something completely different.