Antique Native American Carved Wooden Bowl, Eskimo/Inuit, 19th Century

Antique 19th century Native American (Plains Indian) roach headdress made with dyed deer hair and porcupine guard hair on a u-shaped braided cloth with...

Constructed of native tanned hide with trade beads and horse hair, this doll is wearing a traditional period dress and moccasins. A nomadic tribe, the Sioux territory included parts...

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...

A plains Indian roach “Headdress or Hair Ornament”. Custom display stand is included. Dimensions without stand measures 15 x 15 x 16 inches. Height with s...

Hopi HeHeya Clown carrying a watermelon and backpack from the 1st quarter of the 20th century. Made of wood with pigments, dimensions measure 11 ½ x 3 ½ x 3 ¾ inches. The Heheya K...

This pair of 19th century antique moccasins date to circa 1880 and are constructed of native tanned hide and sewn with glass trade beads in colors of...

A wonderful soapstone carving of a walrus by the indigenous Inuit People who inhabit parts of the arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska. Signed ("E.Y.") and numbered/dat...

A wonderful soapstone large, heavy carving of a tusked walrus by the indigenous inuit people who inhabit parts of the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska. Signed on th...

Salish lidded basket with butterflies and trees. Period: Last quarter 19th century Origin: Salish, Northwest Size: 14" x 14" Family Owned & Operated Cisco’s Gallery deals in the ra...

Apache pictorial tray with seven dogs and four crosses. Period: Last quarter of the 19th century Origin: Apache Size: 12" x 2". Family Owned & Operated Cisco’s Gallery deals in t...

Athabaskan snowshoe pair with wood frames having finely woven sinew front and back with heavy rawhide centers. String wrapped toes and wonderful golden patina. Ex. James B. Scoville ...

Two 19th Century or possibly earlier Inuit Tool Handles, one of carved wood and the other of carved bone. The bone handle bears the unmistakable form of an upturned Seal’s head, a fa...