Plateau Indians Collectibles and Curiosities

Painted cottonwood Kachina "style" doll depicting a Navajo, circa 1940s. It is in good condition, with bright color. Kachina dolls were usually created to teach Hopi children the var...

A handsome hand-crafted Navajo design Bolo tie in sterling silver with blue green turquoise circa 1960s. With plaited black leather tie and sterling & turquoise tips. Measures: 2 x ...

Vintage Native American Zuni Necklace Earring Set Sterling Turquoise Silver and Turquoise beads with earrings set Circa 1960 `s length 60 cm 24 inches ...

A exquisite vintage Zuni Native American silver ring with inlaid Kachina dancer This silver ring features a Kachina dancer inlaid with T...

Fine quality large hand crafted Vintage Native American Navajo sterling silver and Turquoise squash blossom necklace. In the classic Navajo Silver squash blossom design with blue gr...

This Zuni Indigenous American sterling silver and inlaid gemstone figural rabbit brooch or pendant was made by Porfillo and Ann Sheyka. The piece was handmade in most likely the late...

A fine vintage handcrafted Large Native American Navajo Ring Turquoise silver A particularly fine and attractive Navajo ring with multiple small turquoise cabochons Makers initia...

Chunky Vintage Navajo South West Native American Silver Turquoise ring with large Turquoise nugget, adjustable size Conditi...

Native American Indian doll with traditional Lakota Sioux Cherokee wedding dress with bead-work, one of a kind This is an authentic Native American, Am...

Navajo Indian weaving pillows - pair. Camel suede backing. Feather and down inserts and zippered case Measures: 15 x 16 15 x 15

Antique Sioux (Native American/Plains Indian) Parfleche in a box form constructed of rawhide and intricately painted in an abstract design with hourglass and geometric motifs with natural pigments and red trade cloth. At the time this was created, the Sioux Indians were nomadic and are associated with vast areas of the Great Plains of the United States including present-day North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Montana. Authenticity is guaranteed. Box is in very good condition - please contact us for a detailed condition report. Parfleches are rawhide containers which were fundamental to the Plains way of life. Functioning essentially as protective travelling suitcases, they enabled the nomadic tribes to effectively pursue buffalo herds and migrate between seasonal camps. So critical were they to a nomadic existence that over 40 tribes are known to have historically produced parfleches. Collectively, these tribes inhabited an area which encompassed the entirety of the Plains, as well as the parts of the Southwest, the Transmontane and Western Plateau regions. Parfleches were, out of necessity, robust and versatile objects. They were designed to carry and protect within them anything from medicinal bundles to seasonal clothing or food. In fact, it was because of the containers’ robusticity and variety that parfleches earned their name in the Anglo world. Derived from parer (to parry or turn aside) and fleche (arrow), the word parfleche was coined by 17th century French Canadian voyageurs and used to describe indigenous objects made from rawhide. Despite their common utilitarian function, parfleches served as one of the major mediums through which Plains Indian tribes could develop their long-standing tradition of painting. In fact, it is in large part due to the parfleche that tribal style emerged. Even though parfleche painting developed simultaneously with beading and weaving, painting as an artistic tradition held particular importance in tribal culture. Believed to have evolved from tattooing, it had always been used as a conduit through which tribal and individual identity could be expressed. As such, many tribeswomen were deeply committed, some even religiously, to decorating their parfleche either with incised or painted motifs that were significant to them and/or the tribe. For some tribes, such as the Cheyenne, the decorative processes which surrounded parfleche production were sacred. For others, it seems that their parfleche designs shared an interesting artistic dialogue with their beadwork, indicating a more casual exchange of design motifs. This particular relationship can be seen in Crow parfleche...

Navajo Indian weaving pillows - pair. Feather and down inserts and zippered shams. Pillows measure 15 x 15 16 x 16.