Tobacco Bag
CultureCheyenne
Dateca. 1840
MediumNative leather, glass beads, porcupine quills, metal cones, brass bells, and horsehair
DimensionsApproximate (without suspensions): 32 × 4 5/8 inches (81.28 × 11.75 cm)
Credit LineLent by A. J. Grant
Object number57.2009
On View
On viewGallery Location
Gallery Label- 208
The use of tobacco in rituals was highly developed among Plains Indian peoples. Elaborate bags, often exquisitely detailed works of art, were produced by women to serve as containers for tobacco and, among some tribes, for pipe bowls and stems as well. Together with the pipe, such bags were carried by men on important occasions as an element of formal dress. Banded designs were common among many tribes, possibly referring to war honors, but for the Cheyenne, variants of the pattern had sacred connotations.
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