Masterful Beadwork of the Sioux Indians This Week at LiveAuctionTalk.com

As the Buffalo roamed the prairie the Sioux Indians of the Great Plains were never far behind. Millions of buffalo roamed the plains. They were the Sioux’s lifeblood. The meat was the tribe’s major source of food and every part of the animal was put to use.

The buffalo was also the source of a Sioux woman’s sewing needs. Bone awls were used to punch holes through tough hides and sinew thread kept the hides fastened together tightly.

When the fur traders and missionaries brought glass beads to trade with the Sioux, the painstaking work of beading for these late-19th century artisans changed dramatically.

For centuries Plains Indian women decorated clothing traditionally with porcupine quills. And porcupines were rare on the southern and central Plains.

Beadwork ultimately replaced quillwork, an easier art of beading. It was one more example of how traditional ways of life for the North American Native Americans continued to disappear along with their lands and game.

On March 25, Cowan’s in Cincinnati, Ohio, featured a selection of Sioux beaded items in its American Indian and Western Art auction.

A matched pair of hide bags; late-19th century; 13 inches by 19 ½ inches; sold in the auction for $4,994.

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Rosemary McKittrick is a storyteller. From fine art to comic books, her weekly column is a great source of interesting information about the world of collecting.

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This release was published on openPR.