Shoulder Bag
CultureSeminole, Florida
Dateca. 1820-1830
MediumWool cloth and yarn, cotton cloth, glass beads, and silk ribbon
DimensionsOverall: 29 1/2 × 12 3/4 inches (74.93 × 32.39 cm)
Credit LineGift of Joanne and Lee Lyon
Object number2012.27.5
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 208
Collections
DescriptionShoulder bag made of wool cloth and yarn, silk ribbon and extensive glass beadwork with red colored tassels on both straps, the flap and across the bottom of the bagGallery LabelAmmunition pouches carried by 18th century British soldiers are believed to have inspired the creation of elaborate bandolier, or shoulder bags, which were worn as elements of men's formal dress. The objects were constructed entirely of trade materials, but the finely beaded designs of this bag are reminiscent of those found engraved and painted on shell and pottery by pre-contact Southeastern peoples. The cross-in-circle motifs have been variously interpreted as symbols of the sacred: cosmic space, the sun, the four directions and the central fire-all, essentially, representations of the Above World. The mythic swastika designs on the opposing strap are thought to represent the Great Serpent and powers of the Under World. Together, these elements express the duality of a balanced cosmos.
Gaylord Torrence, ed. "Continuum: North American Native Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art” (The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2020), 102-103.
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