Dance Shield
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Object Details
- Collector
- Maj. James M. Bell
- FROM CARD: "THE BASE OF THIS SHIELD IS A PLAIN PIECE OF STIFF HIDE WITH THE HAIR LEFT ON THE BACK, AND THE OBSERVED DECORATION IS ON A THIN PIECE OF ONCE WHITE CLOTH. IT CONSISTS OF A HORNED COWS [sic] HEAD IN THE CENTER WITH A PINK ZIG ZAG STREAK EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM THE JAW; YELLOW, PINK AND BROWN CONCENTRIC CIRCLES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE HEAD, FROM THE RIGHT ONE OF WHICH HANGS A TASSEL OF TWO EAGLE FEATHERS AND THREE SMALL BELLS. UPPER THIRD IS PAINTED A DIRTY BROWN AND THE LOWER THIRD IS YELLOW. A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE OLDER ALL HIDE ONES." ACCESSION RECORD: (FROM) "CAPTIVE SIOUX."
- This is a light weight dance shield with a muslin cover, not a war shield as originally cataloged. The central figure probably represents a buffalo rather than a cow as the card says.
- Attributed as probably by Siyosapa (Black Chicken) by David Penney, 2020. See EL81 for another item in this accession attributed to Siyosapa.
- Record Last Modified
- 16 Dec 2023
- Specimen Count
- 2
- Culture
- Sioux (Oceti Sakowin), Hunkpapa Lakota
- Sioux (Oceti Sakowin), Yanktonai (Ihanktonwana) Dakota, Upper
- Accession Number
- 028804
- USNM Number
- EL66-0
- Object Type
- Dance Shield
- Diameter - Object
- 47 cm
- Place
- Fort Buford, Williams County, North Dakota, United States, North America
- See more items in
- Anthropology
- NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
- Topic
- Ethnology
- Record ID
- nmnhanthropology_8492463
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/32f812369-d82d-469a-8f01-1e6e11cabd20
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