Yakima, Columbia Plateau
Circa 1890
Glass beads on hide with cloth backing and handle
Height 9½ in. (24.1 cm), width 8½ in. (21.6 cm)
Provenance: Lillian Dunn Miller Estate, Hollywood, CA (March 3, 1996, $750.00)
The Elk Dreamers Society was a spiritual and ceremonial organization among Plateau peoples whose members maintained a special relationship with elk, expressed through distinctive regalia and beaded objects featuring elk imagery. This bag displays a fully beaded front panel with a central elk stag rendered in gold and brown tones against a vivid turquoise blue ground, flanked by pink floral elements — a design vocabulary characteristic of late nineteenth-century Yakima beadwork. The composition is bold and symmetrical, with the elk head and antlers occupying the central register in a manner consistent with society regalia rather than general trade production.
The beadwork is densely executed across the entire front surface, with fine lane stitch typical of Columbia Plateau technique and color choices that reflect both indigenous aesthetic preferences and the availability of late nineteenth-century trade beads. The cloth-backed construction with attached handle indicates the piece was made for use as a bag, likely for ceremonial or display purposes. Plateau beaded bags of this type, with documented society associations, are among the most culturally specific objects produced in the region.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Yakima, Columbia Plateau
Circa 1890
Glass beads on hide with cloth backing and handle
Height 9½ in. (24.1 cm), width 8½ in. (21.6 cm)
Provenance: Lillian Dunn Miller Estate, Hollywood, CA (March 3, 1996, $750.00)
The Elk Dreamers Society was a spiritual and ceremonial organization among Plateau peoples whose members maintained a special relationship with elk, expressed through distinctive regalia and beaded objects featuring elk imagery. This bag displays a fully beaded front panel with a central elk stag rendered in gold and brown tones against a vivid turquoise blue ground, flanked by pink floral elements — a design vocabulary characteristic of late nineteenth-century Yakima beadwork. The composition is bold and symmetrical, with the elk head and antlers occupying the central register in a manner consistent with society regalia rather than general trade production.
The beadwork is densely executed across the entire front surface, with fine lane stitch typical of Columbia Plateau technique and color choices that reflect both indigenous aesthetic preferences and the availability of late nineteenth-century trade beads. The cloth-backed construction with attached handle indicates the piece was made for use as a bag, likely for ceremonial or display purposes. Plateau beaded bags of this type, with documented society associations, are among the most culturally specific objects produced in the region.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
