glass beads and leather

On the Northern Great Plains, the favored moccasin type featured a tough sole attached to soft buckskin uppers that reach slightly above the ankle. An ornamenal border about one-half inch wide follows the edge between upper and sole. The geometric patterns on this pair are simpler than those on many other moccasins, suggesting they were made earlier in the 19th century. In typical Sioux fashion, the beading is done in a tight lane stitch, but the use of only two colors is rather uncommon for a pair of fully beaded moccasins. The central red pattern, a stylized cross, is a geometric motif common in Sioux beadwork representing the four directions.

Kathleen Howe, Nuance of Sky: Edgar Heap of Birds Invites Spirit Objects to Join His Art Practice (Claremont: Pomona College Museum of Art, 2013), 23 illustrated/color.

This object has the following keywords:

• Beadwork

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

• Ways of Seeing/Exhibiting American Indian Art: The Pomona College Collection Montgomery Gallery , 1/19/1994 - 3/20/1994

• Overall Dimensions: 3 1/16 x 2 13/16 x 6 7/8 in. (7.78 x 7.14 x 17.46 cm) Measured by Hudson, Karen
• Overall Dimensions: 2 3/4 x 2 7/8 x 6 5/8 in. (6.99 x 7.3 x 16.83 cm) Measured by Hudson, Karen

This object has the following bibliographic references:

• Nuance of Sky. Nuance of Sky Pomona College Museum of Art. Claremont, 2013
  Page Number: 23

This object is a member of the following portfolios: