Blanket strip

Unknown

ca. 1850 · Tanned leather, glass beads, horsehair, porcupine quills, dye, wool cloth, and brass bells · The American Wing

Blanket strips cover the seam of two sewn-together halves of a bison hide, often used for men’s robes. Born of utility, the strips themselves became symbolic objects. Plains and Plateau men wore them on robes with or without seams, and they later appeared on trade blankets. The rosettes of this rare Plateau strip are constructed of quill-wrapped horsehair.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1850

Medium

Tanned leather, glass beads, horsehair, porcupine quills, dye, wool cloth, and brass bells

Culture

Niimíipuu / Nez Perce , Native American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection of Native American Art, Gift of Charles and Valerie Diker, 2018