Southern Plains Pictorial Shirt

The shirt has three figures of Indians in feather bonnets on the front, two holding a pipe and pipe bag and the other holding a medicine or society staff and a single mounted Indian on the back wearing a feather bonnet.  The entire shirt is stained with yellow ochre and all of the fringe is stained green.  The shirt is fringed below the shoulder seams and along the underside of the arms as well as around the bottom.  Tied into the fringe on the right shoulder are two small bundles of horsehair wrapped in sinew.  There are also a few small hawk bells attached to the fringe along the sleeves.  A red cotton edging goes around the neck and down the front of the shirt and around the bottom of the sleeves. Below the red edging around the neck on the right side is a narrow beaded band which begins a little over half way around the neck in the back and extends down the front about 3".  Above the shoulder fringe and along the sleeves as well as along the bottom is a wider band of beading.  It is sinew sewn.  The shirt was used extensively.  Much of the yellow is worn, the red edging along the cuffs is somewhat tattered and there are sweat stains under the arms as well as a small torn hole below the shoulder fringe under the right arm.  The shirt was collected in the Pendleton, Oregon area from Indians in the 1920's and has never been on the market before this time.

L. to Fringe 28 1/2"