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Yanktonai Sioux Beaded Possible Bags, Pair
Yanktonai Sioux, Northern Plains
1880s
Native tanned hide, glass beads, sinew
Height 13 1/2" (34.3 cm); length 20 1/2" (52.1 cm)
Provenance: Private Midwest collection
This intact pair of Yanktonai Sioux possible bags is constructed from native tanned hide and decorated in the lazy stitch technique using sinew as thread, a beadwork method characteristic of Plains women's production in the late 19th century. The term "possible bag" is said to derive from an indigenous expression meaning a bag for every possible thing, reflecting their function as general purpose storage containers within the tipi or hung on either side of a saddle during travel. Possible bags were made in pairs and served as essential domestic equipment for nomadic Plains communities, their beaded decoration reflecting both practical skill and aesthetic tradition.
Pairs of this type are encountered with decreasing frequency as most were separated over time through collection and sale, making an intact matched pair with consistent decoration and construction a documented survival. The beadwork design, color palette, and lazy stitch execution are consistent with Yanktonai Sioux production of the 1880s, a period when Plains beadwork traditions remained strong despite the significant social disruptions of the reservation era. The hide construction and sinew threading show the sustained use of traditional materials alongside the glass trade beads that had become standard in Plains beadwork by this period.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Yanktonai Sioux, Northern Plains
1880s
Native tanned hide, glass beads, sinew
Height 13 1/2" (34.3 cm); length 20 1/2" (52.1 cm)
Provenance: Private Midwest collection
This intact pair of Yanktonai Sioux possible bags is constructed from native tanned hide and decorated in the lazy stitch technique using sinew as thread, a beadwork method characteristic of Plains women's production in the late 19th century. The term "possible bag" is said to derive from an indigenous expression meaning a bag for every possible thing, reflecting their function as general purpose storage containers within the tipi or hung on either side of a saddle during travel. Possible bags were made in pairs and served as essential domestic equipment for nomadic Plains communities, their beaded decoration reflecting both practical skill and aesthetic tradition.
Pairs of this type are encountered with decreasing frequency as most were separated over time through collection and sale, making an intact matched pair with consistent decoration and construction a documented survival. The beadwork design, color palette, and lazy stitch execution are consistent with Yanktonai Sioux production of the 1880s, a period when Plains beadwork traditions remained strong despite the significant social disruptions of the reservation era. The hide construction and sinew threading show the sustained use of traditional materials alongside the glass trade beads that had become standard in Plains beadwork by this period.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.