Northern Sioux Antelope Hide Pipe Bag, Secret Society

Northern Sioux, northern Plains

1870s

Antelope hide, glass beads, sinew

Length 32" (81.3 cm)

Provenance: Carolyn and Peter Lynch Collection

Pipe bags associated with secret societies within Sioux ceremonial life represent a distinct category within the broader pipe bag tradition, their decoration encoding specific symbolic content accessible only to initiated members rather than serving as general aesthetic expression. The cross motif visible on this bag is among the most significant symbols in Sioux ceremonial iconography, used in contexts ranging from the morning star to directional symbolism in medicine society ritual. Secret society objects from the 1870s represent the period of most active ceremonial production before reservation-era suppression of indigenous religious practice curtailed the making and use of such objects.

This bag is constructed from antelope hide, sinew-sewn, with a beaded cross motif in the upper field and crescent forms flanking it, the imagery consistent with a ceremonial rather than purely decorative program. The lower panel is beaded in horizontal polychrome lanes of white, blue, red, and yellow, providing a strong formal contrast to the sparse figural field above. Provenance traces to the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Collection, a recognized collection of Plains Indian material.

We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.