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- Sitting Bull photographs, paintings and drawings

www.plainsindianart.com

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- Native Americans in historical photographs
- Sitting Bull photographs, paintings and drawings
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- Home
  - Native Americans in historical photographs
  - Sitting Bull photographs, paintings and drawings

Plains Indian Art

by Englisberg

Lakota (Sioux), Arapaho, Cheyenne, Blackfoot, Shoshone, Crow, Assiniboine, Arikara, Gros Ventres, Kiowa, Comanche – nomadic equestrian nations of the Great Plains of North America.

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American Indians in Historical Photographs from the private collection of von Englisberg

Sitting Bull in historical photographs and paintings by Englisberg

Collection of Native American artifacts from the late 19th century (early reservation period). The objects primarily originate from the Lakota Sioux, with possible additional attributions to the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Assiniboine, Crow, Blackfoot, Shoshone, Kiowa and Comanche nations. This website serves the purpose of sharing with the general public the great beauty, artistry and craftsmanship. The objective of this collection is that the objects shown have actually been used by their original owners and thus the resulting wear and tear is visible.

Comments, suggestions and also corrections are welcome, the objects are not for sale - email: vonenglisberg@gmail.com

Pipe Bag, Lakota (possibly Oglala or Sicangu) with pictographic human figures representing war honors or enemies killed, ca. 1870's. There are six human figure pictographs representing three Pawnees and three Crows, both traditional enemies of the Lakota. The lines coming from the top of the heads are references to hair locks or scalps, which were removed from slain enemies as tokens of victory and power. The single beaded lines on the heads of the Pawnee figures represent the hair lock typical to males of that tribe. The Crows had an elaborate and thicker hair style with the front sticking up above the forehead and that is represented with the thicker cluster of beads atop the figures. The cross-like decorations on the drops symbolize dragonflies and may indicate the owner's membership in the Sacred Bow warrior society. Three beaded horseheads on the reverse side of the bag in typical Lakota style represent horses captured from the enemy or honors attained with horses. The four elongated diamond shapes with blue lower halves and the yellow drops finished with a single line of red at the bottom symbolize eagle feathers and are another reference of war honors and blessing. The horse tracks are symbols of war raids or captured horses. The depicted pipes on the front and the reverse symbolize the respected status of the owner as a warrior. The pipe is intimately tied to the life of the Plains man as a medium of prayer that affects all activities, especially war. Pipes were smoked before and after battles to ask for protection and to fulfill the obligatory rites that were an element of all war medicine. Although this type of depictions can be found on Lakota hide paintings and ledger drawings, it is rare on beaded objects. These beaded bags were made by women relatives of the victorious warriors and demonstrate the close relationship that women had to the ceremonies of war. This is a true warrior's pipe bag. Intertribal warfare has largely ceased by the end of the 1870's which allows the approximate attribution of the age of this bag.