[NATIVE AMERICAN] 19th-Century Matched Pair of Sioux Beaded Hide Possible Bags

A Matched Pair of Sioux Beaded Hide Storage Bags. Northern Plains, second half of the nineteenth century.

A handsome matched pair of rectangular storage bags, fashioned from substantial, tawny hide, possibly buffalo, with broad folding flaps and thong closures. Narrow bands of glass beadwork follow the lateral edges, incorporating rectangular passages of green, white, yellow, and red separated by dark blue bars. Across the flaps, corresponding blue and yellow bands enclose small contrasting rectangles. Metal cones bearing red-dyed hair tassels hang along the sides, introducing bright color and movement against the mottled surfaces of the hide.

The decoration is carefully concentrated at the edges, leaving the broad faces unembellished. This arrangement emphasizes the bags’ generous proportions while allowing the beaded borders and pendant tassels to define their outlines. Their closely corresponding construction, palette, and ornament give the pair a particularly satisfying unity, with small variations preserving the individuality of the handwork.

Often called possible bags, soft-hide containers of this type held personal and household belongings. They could serve as pillows within the tipi and were carried beside the saddle when an encampment moved. Their ornament consequently belonged to both domestic life and the visible equipment of travel.

The pair offered here illustrates the care devoted to objects of everyday utility within Sioux material culture. Wear and surface darkening record their use, while the surviving beadwork and vivid tassels retain considerable decorative presence. Together, they form an especially appealing ensemble of nineteenth-century Plains hidework.