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NORTHERN CHEYENNE BEADED KNIFE SHEATH –
IDENTIFIED: This is a beautifully executed
Cheyenne beaded knife sheath featuring a desirable
United States Flag motif. I normally do not purchase
items of this type made in the modern era, but this
sheath was so attractive and so masterfully executed I
couldn’t leave it behind. The American Flag designs
began to appear in Northern Plains Indian beadwork in
the late 19th Century and the popularity of
this type of design is well documented. The flag motif
used on this sheath is nicely proportioned and the
combination of colors was well chosen.
The sheath, made sometime in the 1970 – 1980 time frame
by Whistling Elk, a Northern Cheyenne woman in Lame
Deer, Montana, measures 8” long and 2 ¾” wide, not
including the tin cone and horse hair decorations. The
sheath is constructed around a rawhide liner, and the
beadwork applied to the buckskin covering is done in
very small old stock beads in greasy yellow, red
white-heart, powder blue, white and dark blue. The
lanes of beads are unusually narrow, approximately ¼”
wide, giving the beadwork a very fine, delicate look.
In addition to the flag beaded on the face of the
sheath, the seam of the sheath is nicely finished with
edge beading. All of the thread sewn beadwork is tight,
with no missing beads, and due to aging and handling,
the beadwork is beginning to show evidence of a nice
patina. The top edge of the sheath is bound in blue
wool and the upper rear corner and the bottom tip are
accented with drops that include blue faceted Russian
trade beads, silver trade beads, hand made tin cones and
red horse hair, attached with green painted buckskin
thongs. Overall the sheath and beadwork are in
excellent condition with no damage or sign of wear.
This sheath is a very attractive piece, has the added
value of retaining the identification of the woman who
made the sheath, and with the American Flag motif, this
would be a nice piece to display with a selection of
Indian War accoutrements and arms in your collection.
$495
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