Travis Harden and Belle Starboy, Lakota | |||||||
Horse hair braids. Five bells for use as dance shield.
Tin medallion with nickel beads, glass trade beads, buckskin fringe.
| Travis Harden and Belle Starboy, Lakota DCS-36
(ONLY ONE AVAILABLE)
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Trimmed in gold trade cloth, with horse hair braids and five bells for use as dance shield.
Obsidian arrowheads, glass trade beads, tin cones, nickel studs. | |||||||
ABOUT THE SPIRIT SHIELD - Shields are ancient ceremonial tools, providing protection from that which would harm or divert one from the good path, bringing strength and healing through ones power totems, Spirit Animals and Beings, and Mother Earths elements. |
About Ledger Art Ledger art evolved from Plains Indian hide painting. Traditionally Plains tribes decorated tipis, leggings, buffalo robes, shields and other clothing items with depictions of life events. The figures were usually drawn with a hard, dark outline and then filled in with color. The painting was done with bone or wood sticks that were dipped in naturally-occurring pigments. The women of the tribes often made designs while the men depicted scenes of war, hunting, other personal feats or historic events. Besides battles, the changing lifestyle of the Plains Indians and infusion of Euro-Americans was documented in the art - trains, covered wagons, guns, and even cameras.
At right is an 1884 crayon ledger drawing by Lakota artist Red Dog honoring the valor of a warrior named Low Dog.
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Ledger
art began in the 1860s and continued to the 1930s and is experiencing a revival
with a few contemporary Lakota artists today. It is called ledger art because
instead of the paintings being on buffalo hides (which became scarce with the
near extinction of the vast buffalo herds) the drawings were done on paper, often
ledger book paper that was discarded by government agents, military officers,
traders or missionaries. In addition to the new paper format, Plains artists also
had access to pencils, pens, crayons and watercolor paints. 
Noted
Lakota artists include Black Hawk and Sitting Bull. Black Hawk, in an effort to
feed his family during the very harsh winter of 1880-81, agreed to draw a series
of 76 pieces of art for an Indian trader that depicted one 
of
Black Hawk's visions. He was paid 50 cents a drawing. That book of 76 drawings
sold in 1994 for nearly $400,000 dollars. Although not technically ledger art
since the drawings were on plain paper, not ledger paper, Black Hawk's work are
one of the finest examples of that style of Lakota art. Two examples of that series
are shown here.
About Bison Spirit Medicine Bison were the major source of sustenance for indigenous cultures of the plains, giving meat for food, hides for shelter and clothing, and Spirit Medicine. The appearance of Bison is a sign that prayers are being heard, that the sacred pipe and Spirit are being honored. Bison signals a time of abundance, prosperity and thankfulness.The medicine of Bison is prayer, gratitude and praise for that which has been received. Bison Medicine is also knowing that abundance is present when all relations are honored as sacred, and when gratitude is expressed to every living part of creation, recognizing the sacredness of every walk of life. |
About BeadsBeads used by Native American artists are usually round, called seed beads, but can be flattened (rondelle) or cylindrical. They are usually made of glass, sometimes plastic, and come in a variety of colors. Most are one solid color except for European Trade Beads, which are mulit-colored and sometimes decorated. Most contemporary high-quality glass seed beads are made in the Czech Republic, Japan or India. Czech beads are measured by the "aught" system using fraction-like numbers designating how many beads fit side by side on a one inch line. 4/0 means four beads to an inch, each bead being 1/4" wide. 6/0 = 1/6" wide. The smaller the beads, the more beads to an inch, and the larger the number.
The smallest seed beads are 24/0. These are used mainly for beaded items and embroidery. |