Heddle
CultureMeskwaki, Iowa
Dateca. 1900
MediumWood and pigment
DimensionsOverall: 10 3/8 × 6 3/4 × 5/8 inches (26.37 × 17.15 × 1.59 cm)
Credit LineGift of Ned Jalbert
Object number2009.77.4
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionFlat board-like object distinguished by a design of inward turned, facing horses with a progression of open slat work mounted beneath.Gallery LabelHeddles are mechanical weaving devices derived from European textile technology. Great Lakes women in the early 19th century adopted them to create woven belts, garters and sashes. These women often made striking geometric motifs using black or dark garnet beads on a white background. The heddle separated and guided the warp or lengthwise threads, and beads strung on the weft or horizontal threads created the pattern. Men carved heddles for their wives and other female relatives from a single piece of wood.
Torrence, Gaylord, ed. Continuum: North American Native Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Kansas City: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
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