[NATIVE AMERICAN] Late 19th–Early 20th Century Plains Bone Hairpipe Breastplate

A Plains Bone Hairpipe Breastplate with Brass Ornaments and Bells. Late nineteenth–early twentieth century.

A striking breastplate constructed from two vertical ranks of horizontally strung bone hairpipes, their pale, gently tapering forms secured between dark leather spacers. Small barrel-shaped trade beads separate the pipes from the supporting strips and bridge the narrow central opening. Four domed brass discs descend along the center, establishing a strong vertical accent against the repeated horizontal lines of the bone.

Long hide thongs extend from both sides, accompanied by small metal bells, while additional bead strands form the upper suspension and paired loops beneath the lower edge. The construction allows the breastplate to remain flexible despite its ordered, almost architectural appearance. Its restrained coloring emphasizes the contrast between the smooth bone, dark leather, and warm-toned brass; the lateral fringe adds a looser, mobile element to the otherwise regular arrangement.

The hairpipe breastplate developed into one of the most recognizable forms of Plains personal adornment during the second half of the nineteenth century. In his foundational study, Hair Pipes in Plains Indian Adornment (1957), Smithsonian ethnologist John C. Ewers traced its probable origins to the Comanche in the mid-nineteenth century and documented its subsequent adoption among neighboring peoples and across the Northern Plains. Early examples employed shell hairpipes; around 1880, commercially manufactured bone pipes offered a less fragile and less costly alternative, encouraging increasingly elaborate constructions.

Breastplates remained prominent in formal dress, portraiture, and dance regalia during the reservation period. Ewers recorded their appearance in photographs of such figures as Red Cloud and Quanah Parker, as well as their continuing use among grass dancers. The broad distribution of the form makes the general Plains attribution appropriate for the example offered here. Its balanced proportions, central brass ornaments, and extensive fringe give it a particularly strong decorative presence.

[Native Americans, Native American History, American Indian, Indian History]