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.
