Southeast Asian Ceremonial Fan, fashioned from the shoulder blade of a water buffalo, the bone etched on one side with a figure of a lizard and bordered by clusters of three circles and fitted with a carved wooden handle in the form of a human head with an open headdress, l. 12".
Northern Plains Indian Parfleche Ceremonial Rattle: Featured in this lot is this Northern Plains Indians Parfleche ceremonial rattle, circa 1940's. The rattle shows a wonderful construction of Parfleche hide with a red ochre painted softwood shaft. The rattle shows a decoration of four total turkey feathers with eight white red heart trade beads and an etched buffalo with polychrome naturally dyed decoration. The condition of this ceremonial rattle is good, with no obvious signs of damage; there is wear consistent with the age of the rattle. The measurements of this Parfleche rattle are 15 1/4" x 3" x 2 1/2".
DANIEL R. HOWELL, GROUP OF THREE HAND COLORED LITHOGRAPHS: BUFFALO OF THE THIRD VISION, 1984 + VANISHING PRAIRIES STATE II, 1986 + CEREMONIAL I, 1992Daniel R. Howell, (Lakota Sioux, 20th Century) Group of Three Hand Colored Lithographs: Buffalo of the Third Vision, 1984 + Vanishing Prairies State II, 1986 + Ceremonial I, 1992, hand colored lithographs Buffalo of The Third Vision, 1984 titled in graphite lower left: BUFFALO OF THE THIRD VISION editioned and dated in graphite lower left: IV/V HAND-COLORED IN 1996 signed and dated in graphite lower right: DANIEL R. HOWELL 1984 Vanishing Prairies State II, 1986 titled in graphite lower left: VANISHING PRAIRIES STATE II editioned in graphite lower center: 18/50 signed and dated in graphite lower right: DANIEL R. HOWELL © 1986 Ceremonial I, 1992 titled in graphite lower left: CEREMONIAL I editioned in graphite lower left of center: STATE EDITION 7/10 signed and dated in graphite lower right: DANIEL R. HOWELL © 1992 hand colored lithographs Dimensions: Buffalo of the Third Vision: 28 1/4 x 22 1/4 in. (71.8 x 56.5 cm.), Vanishing Prairies State II: 6 x 8 in. (15.24 x 20.32 cm.); Sheet: 10 x 12 in. (25.4 x 30.5 cm.), Ceremonial I: 20 x 15 in. (50.8 x 38.1 cm.) Provenance: Private Collection, New Mexico
EDWARD S. CURTIS, THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN PORTFOLIO XII, 1922Edward S. Curtis, (1868 - 1952) The North American Indian Portfolio XII, 1922, 36 photogravures on Japanese Gampi tissue with original Van Gelder overmats signed in the plate below image: E. S. Curtis Featuring the Hopi tribe of the Southwest. LIMITED EDITION: This Portfolio is from set #96, printed on handmade Japanese gampi tissue paper, quarto, original ¾ brown crushed levant by H. Blackwell of Boston, over beige linen-covered boards, original gilt lettered, with photogravure plates by Suffolk Engraving Company of Boston after photographs by Edward S. Curtis, edited by Frederick Webb Hodge, Chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology, field research conducted under the patronage of J. Pierpont Morgan. PORTFOLIO: 36 large format photogravures, including a List of Plates reference that is hand letterpress printed on hand-made paper. Loose bound in a hand-made, 3-flap portfolio. In the summer of 1900, after his brief expedition with George Bird Grinnell to the Great Plains, Curtis made his first independent, self-financed trip into the field. For this important trip, he chose to photograph the Hopi, Navajo, and Apache of the Southwest. He was intrigued by what he had read and heard about their rich, traditional culture and their spectacular ceremonies. Curtis's initial intrigue was confirmed during this visit, and from 1900 to 1925 Curtis would study and photograph the various tribes of the Southwest more frequently than those of any other area. He ultimately devoted more volumes of The North American Indian to the Southwest than to any other region. Portfolio XII focuses exclusively on the Hopi, showing aspects of their architecture, mythology, arts and dress. Many of Curtis' most compelling photographs can be found in this portfolio. There are the striking portraits of "A Hopi Man" and "A Walpi Man". "The Potter" depicting the skilled artisan named Nampeyo. And four incredible portraits of Hopi Snake Priests, in addition to images of their Buffalo and Snake Dance ceremonies. Said Curtis, "I couldn't make pictures of their religious ceremonies unless I entered into their inner life and understood it from their standpoint." Curtis's immersion in the cultures of the Southwest Indians, which were so inextricably intertwined with the land itself, is clearly evident in the photographs he made in the region. 36 photogravures on Japanese Gampi tissue with original Van Gelder overmats Dimensions: folio: 23 x 19 in. (58.42 x 48.26 cm.), prints: 18 x 22 in. (45.72 x 55.88 cm.) Provenance: Edward S. Curtis Studio William Henry Moore The Moore Memorial Library The Christopher G. Cardozo Collection, 2001
PHOTOGRAPHS, sixteen pieces: Henry Kirke Bush-Brown (American, 1857-1935), five photographs of sculptor working in studio and of completed bronze equestrian works in situ, including "General Anthony Wayne", "General John F. Reynolds", and "Indian Buffalo Hunt", two identified with NY and PA photographic studios, all with pencil inscriptions to mount board verso, all laid down, along with personally inscribed 1928 Christmas card photograph of sculptor and wife Margaret; late 19th/early 20th C. black and white photograph of firemen in dress uniform posing in front of fire house, laid down, matted and famed behind glass, expected wear to carved frame including alligatoring, not examined out of frame, ss: 13 3/4" h. x 16 1/2" w.; three mounted Elmer M. White photographs of CT Historical Society Field Day ceremonies held 5 June 1888 commemorating anniversary of the Pequot Battle at Mystic, CT with intact paper labels verso; two photographs of Hartford, CT Capitol Building; and four miscellaneous photographs of street fronts, store interiors, farmhouses, and tram conductors posing in front of tram, light to moderate foxing throughout. [Deaccessioned from a Connecticut Institution]
Edward Curtis, The Oath, 1908: Edward S. Curtis. (1868 - 1952). The Oath, 1908. silver gelatin print - toned. Signed lower right recto in black ink: Curtis. In the negative at lower left on print recto: X2627-08. . Negative Date: 1908. Print Date: ca. 1908. Apsaroke, Great Plains. . This is an important Curtis image and was chosen as the frontispiece for Volume IV of The North American Indian. This is also one of Curtis’ most sought after images. It is a classic Northern plains image that combines both a beautiful landscape and a compelling ceremony. In this photograph the Apsaroke warrior takes an oath of truth and honor while two other warriors act as witnesses. The Oath requires the man to thrust an arrow through a piece of meat, place it upon a red-painted buffalo skull, raise it toward the sun and, if his words are true, touch the meat to his mouth. The ceremony was intended for use with difficult or controversial communications to help insure both the veracity and good intentions of the speaker. . This is a toned print, on matte surface silver gelatin paper, and mounted to vintage board. 12 15/16 x 9 15/16 in. (32. 86 x 25. 24 cm. ), Mount: 12 15/16 x 10 in. (32. 86 x 25. 40 cm. ) . Edward Curtis Studio, Seattle. Private Collection(s). The Christopher G. Cardozo Collection, 2018. . Publication History - Image:. The North American Indian (1907-1930), Volume 4, Frontispiece. Sacred Legacy: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian, Simon & Schuster, 2000, Page 37. Edward S. Curtis: The Great Warriors, Bulfinch Press, 2004, Plate 23. The North American Indian Republication Custom Edition, Christopher Cardozo Fine Art, 2014, Volume 4, Frontispiece. The North American Indian Republication Reference Edition, Christopher Cardozo Fine Art, 2017, Volume 4, Frontispiece Dimension Condition This print is in very good condition overall. A formal, detailed condition report is available upon request. . The condition reports for the lots offered by Santa Fe Art Auction (SFAA) are provided as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers. The reports are not intended to nor do they substitute for physical examination by a buyer or the buyer's advisors. The condition reports are prepared by SFAA staff members who are not art conservators or restorers, nor do they possess the qualifications needed for comprehensive evaluation. Each condition report is an opinion of the staff member and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply anything as to the condition of a particular lot. Buyers are reminded that the limited warranties are set forth in the Terms and Conditions of Sale and do not extend to condition. Each lot is sold as-is.
20th C. Sulawesi Wood Ancestral / Tau Tau Figures (pr): Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Sulawesi Island, Toraja people, ca. first half of the 20th century CE. A fine pair of nearly life-sized wooden ancestral figures known as tau tau (sometimes tao tao) - each with articulated arms and legs as well as a head that can be turned and removed. Both figures stand upon slightly bent legs with upper tenons pinned inside deep mortises within the hip and have thick dowels to attach the arms to the shoulders. Each head exhibits incised nasolabial wrinkles, bared teeth beneath a thin nose, prominent ears, and gaunt eye sockets that frame the pinned shell eye appliques. The minimalist design of these statues suggests they were adorned with clothing, wigs, and even jewelry to honor the deceased ancestor they represent. Size of largest (female): 14. 25" W x 58. 125" H (36. 2 cm x 147. 6 cm); 60" H (152. 4 cm) on included custom stand. . The Toraja people live in the mountains of southern Sulawesi Island which is covered by dense rainforest. Today most Toraja people practice the Christian religion as a result of missionaries, however their traditional religion - known as aluk to dolo ("law of the ancestors") - is still practiced with regard to funerary rituals; this includes the creation of tau tau like these examples. Traditional Toraja beliefs hold that when one dies, they will remain an active member of the family by bringing either good or bad luck depending on how well they are respected once deceased. As a result, the most important ceremony in a person's life is the funeral. Prior to the 17th century, Torajans buried family members in coffins stored at the base of cliffs. Unfortunately, their graves were plundered due to easy access, and so they began to hide the graves inside niches hollowed out into the cliffs. It cost a family several buffalo to commission a specialist to hollow out a cliff-face gravesite, and so the process could take many years depending on the wealthy of the family. Tau tau like these examples would then stand guard, looking down from a balcony on the rock face. . For another example of a standing tau tau statue, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1988. 143. 91 . . Provenance: ex-private Barber collection, Illinois, USA collection; ex-Mr. & Mrs. James Van Ella collection, Lake Forest, Illinois, USA, purportedly purchased from Allan Frumkin, Chicago, Illinois, USA. . All items legal to buy/sell under U. S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. . . A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. . We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. . #154890 Condition Both heads are removable. Repairs to right foot and right elbow of female as well as right elbow and two right toes on male, all with chips and adhesive residue along break lines. One elbow pin on female restored. Both figures have abrasions and chips to heads, bodies, arms, and legs, with several stable fissures, light encrustations, and light softening to some finer details. Wonderful patina and great earthen deposits throughout.
Sioux Ghost Dance Buffalo Rattle Dance Club c 1890: Offered for public sale is this exceptionally rare and historic Ghost Dance Sioux Native American Indian Buffalo horn rattle dance club dating to circa 1890. The Ghost Dance movement of 1890 was a ceremonial dance created by the Northern Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka (Jack Wilson). Wovoka taught that when done properly the dance was believed to reunite the spirits of the living with the dead allowing them to fight on their behalf, causing the white colonist to leave and bring peace, prosperity and unity to the Native American peoples. The war club like dance wand rattle is constructed of a stripped wood haft that is completely wrapped with a Great American Bison Buffalo Indian tanned hide and sewn with a sinew thread. The haft covering still shows remnants of the Buffalo fur. The head shows two Buffalo horns wrapped in Buffalo hide with the fur still on and accented by early chalk white pony pound beads. When shaken, the dance wand emits a rattle caused by some foreign object being embedded into the horns. The entire piece shows an even patina and unique design. Provenance: From the late E. E. Dorssom estate of Leavenworth, Kansas. Measures 10" wide and 23. 25" long. Condition For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.
20th C. Nafana Bedu Wood Mask - Massive Size!: West Africa, Ghana or Ivory Coast, Nafana people, ca. 1960 CE. A massive wooden ceremonial mask with painted geometric motifs and rattan cords. This mask is known as a Bedu and is a ritualistic piece created for dances during healing, fertility, and agricultural festivals. The elongated shape has a phallic suggestion, although the disc indicates this is a female mask. The entire frontside is painted with black and white in a checkered pattern. The triangular portion is the actual mask to be worn on the face, and the disc would be supported above the wearer’s head. This example has three perforations for the wearer to see through, and a U-shaped frame attached to the verso to rest on the wearer’s head, with rattan straps for securing the mask in place. There are male and female Bedu masks. The male version looks like a stylized cow, because Bedu was originally the name of the mythical buffalo creature that could cure the sick and was eventually domesticated by the Nafana people. This female form is imbued with positive power, and the highly abstract nature and size of this piece is very striking! Size: 22" L x 1" W x 68" H (55. 9 cm x 2. 5 cm x 172. 7 cm) . . Provenance: private Houston, Texas, USA collection, purchased from Hemingway Gallery, New York City, New York, USA in 2007. . All items legal to buy/sell under U. S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. . . A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. . We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. . #162901 Condition Old inactive insect cavities. Six old repairs with metal plates and nails to reinforce the ring and triangle panels. Stable pressure fissures and cracks. Losses, chips and nicks to peripheries and surfaces. Fraying and tearing of rattan straps. Some fading of pigments. Modern metal wire added for suspension. Massive size!
PHOTOGRAPHY: After Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984) "Buffalo Dance, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, 1928", black and white photograph of Hopi Indians dancing in line with gourd rattles, ornately dressed and decorated in ceremonial garb, nicely framed and matted behind glass, artist information label verso reads "Indian ceremonial dance, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, c. 1929", along with a framer's label, not examined out of frame, wear consistent with age, under museum glass, ss: 7 1/4" h. x 9" w.
19TH C. SUMATRA BATAK WOOD MEDICINAL VESSEL W/ SINGASoutheast Asia, Indonesia, Sumatra, Toba Batak peoples, ca. 19th to early 20th century CE. A fabulous hand-carved priest's container known as naga marsarang, expertly made from a dense wood, for storing a potent substance known as pupuk, or medicinal charms. While some are made of buffalo horn, this example is entirely wood carved into the crescent shape- the pointed end is sculpted in the form of a seated ancestor figure with his hand on knees and a tuft of black horsehair set into his head. The upward facing stopper is a massive singa head, an underworld deity, with intricate incised geometric and curvilinear motifs, elongated chin, eyes inlaid with metal iron discs, and curling flame like ears and hair. The lid rests flush inside the rim, a wooden dowel pin inserted through the side holds the hefty effigy stopper in place, and the rest of the vessel is covered with a knotted / woven cord sheath. Great patina and fabulous details throughout this magical container! Size: 12" L x 3" W (30.5 cm x 7.6 cm); 14.5" H (36.8 cm) on included custom stand.
According to the Bowers Museum curatorial description, "The Toba Batak people live in the northern mountainous highlands of Sumatra, one of the several islands that constitute the Republic of Indonesia. A medicine horn (naga marsarang)… would have belonged to a religious specialist who was able to communicate with the gods, conduct ceremonies, practice benevolent and malevolent magic, and provide assistance and advice in matters concerning daily life. The medicine horn functioned as a container for a highly potent substance considered magical and even deadly. The substance, called pupuk was prepared, used and handled only by Batak religious specialists."
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010; ex-Dr. Gallagher collection, Sydney, Australia, 1960 to 2000, collected in Indonesia in 1985
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#171743
Condition:
Patina to wood and metal eyes. Stable pressure fissures on stopper lid and ancestor figure. Overall excellent and in choice condition.
Early 20th C. Sulawesi Wood Ancestral Tau Tau - Female: Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Sulawesi Island, Toraja people, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A haunting, near-lifesize wooden ancestral figure - known as a tau tau (sometimes tao tao) - with articulated arms and legs as well as a head that can be removed and/or turned. This example is female, with carved breasts. Otherwise, she has a simple torso and limbs. Her inlaid shell eyes seem to stare directly at the viewer. She wears a bronze bangle on each arm and bronze earrings. She is stylized because when she was made, she would have been dressed in clothing and even given hair. Size: 17. 5" L x 12. 75" W x 63" H (44. 4 cm x 32. 4 cm x 160 cm); 63. 5" H (161. 3 cm) on included custom stand. . The Toraja people live in the mountains of southern Sulawesi island, which is densely rainforested. Today most are Christian as the result of missionaries, but their traditional religion - known as "aluk to dolo", the "law of the ancestors", is still practiced with regard to funerary rituals. This includes the creation of tau tau. Traditional Toraja beliefs hold that when you die, you will remain an active member of the family, expected to bring good or bad luck, depending on how respected you are. As a result, the most important ceremony in a person's life is the funeral! Funerals are very expensive, as are burials. Prior to the 17th century, Torajans buried family members in coffins stored at the base of cliffs. Unfortunately, their graves were plundered due to easy access, and so they began to hide the graves inside niches hollowed out of the cliffs. It cost several buffalo to have a specialist hollow out a grave, and so the process could take many years depending on the wealth of the family. Tau tau like this one would then stand guard, looking down from a balcony on the rock face. . See a very similar example at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www. metmuseum. org/art/collection/search/316100 . . Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection. . All items legal to buy/sell under U. S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. . . A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. . We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. . #144674 Condition Extensive weathering to wood with large fissures, notably on the back of the torso and head and along one hip. There are light stains and discolorations, also the product of weathering, over much of the surface, as well as light deposits and encrustations. Overall, however, the piece is in good condition and does not feel fragile. Arms and head are removable. Inlaid shells are in nice condition.
Tom Lovell (1909–1997) — Horse Raid (1978): . Tom Lovell (1909–1997). Horse Raid (1978). oil on canvas. 40 × 30 inches. signed and dated lower left. . VERSO. Artist label with signature, title, and date. Typed artist’s description of painting. Label, Trailside Galleries, Jackson, Wyoming. . The artist wrote, “Horse raiding was an important part of the Plains Indians culture. The idea was to cut the picket ropes and lead the best horses away by stealth. But a dog barks and the camp is aroused; the raiders leave without ceremony, with a few captured animals and no dignity. ”. . As noted by Richard Conn in Circles of the World: Traditional Art of the Plains Indians, “While stealing any horse earned some merit for the thief, valuable animals brought greatest honor. Most prized by the Plains people were their ‘buffalo runners. ’ Trained to run unflinchingly beside a thundering bison so that their riders could have both hands free to shoot, these hunting mounts were so precious that they were herded apart and kept under guard at all times; at night they were picketed by their owners’ tipis. There are even accounts of men sleeping with hackamore ropes tied to their arms or legs as a further deterrent to prowling horse stealers. The greater the risk, the sweeter the prize, however, and some Plains warriors became specialists in stealing livestock. Novices began with the least valuable animals grazing outside camp in herds guarded only by one or two adolescents. In this situation a group of horses could quickly be driven off while a friend stampeded the others to delay pursuit. Experienced thieves could creep into sleeping camps and take better animals with tactics that were proof against harness bells, wakeful owners, and even hackamore ropes. The skill of Plains horse thieves was documented in 1872 when, under the very nose of army sentries, a group of Comanches ‘requisitioned’ fifty-one government animals from a stone-walled corral at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. ”. . PROVENANCE . Trailside Galleries, Jackson, Wyoming. Oklahoma Publishing Company, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Private collection, Texas, 2013. . View more information Dimension Condition Surface condition is excellent. No signs of restoration.
WILLIAM H. BULL (1861-1940) APACHE TRAIL OF ARIZONA / SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES. 23x16 inches, 58 1/2x40 1/2 cm. Condition B+ / B: loss in lower left corner; multiple pin holes in corners and margins; light staining in margins; errant pencil markings in bottom margin into text. Paper. William H. Bull moved from Buffalo, New York to California in 1882 where he "became the in-house artist for [Southern Pacific] and, beginning in 1898, its pioneering booster-magazine venture, Sunset. He specialized in illustrations that emphasized the vast, romantic West, numerous examples of which ran as Sunset magazine covers and were also produced as newsstand posters" (Zega, p. 15). While primarily known for depicting California scenes, he designed other locales as well, including this dramatic view of a pass along the famed Apache Trail in Arizona. Named after the Native American tribe who originally settled and traveled the route, the trail connects Phoenix to Roosevelt Lake through the Superstition Mountains in Tonto National Forest. During the dedication ceremony for the Roosevelt dam in 1911, President Theodore Roosevelt reflected on the trail saying, "the Apache Trail combines the grandeur of the Alps, the glory of the Rockies, the magnificence of the Grand Canyon and then adds an indefinable something that none of the others have. To me, it is the most awe-inspiring and most sublimely beautiful panorama nature has ever created." The Southern Pacific route did not actually run through the Apache trail, but rather buses from the station would take travelers on a scenic tour, a point Bull alludes to with his depiction of the vehicle on the mountain trail.- 1,000
Cheyenne Polychrome Ceremonial Dance Wand C. 1900: Featured in this lot is a Cheyenne Polychrome Ceremonial Painted Dance Wand. The wand is shaped like bull or buffalo horns and painted ivory with black tips. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized Nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enrolled in the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma, and the Northern Cheyenne, who are enrolled in the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana (wikipedia). This ceremonial wand is in good condition for age and measures 14" long. Condition For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.
Apache Devil Dance S Harrison Rabbit Hide Painting: Featured in this lot is 1975 painting on rabbit hide entitled "Apache Devil Dance" by Stanley Harrison. The painting depicts an Indian dancer in ceremonial garb, along with a buffalo skull and two crows. The painting is in good condition and, with frame, measures 23. 5" x 20. 5". Condition For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.
Southeast Asian Ceremonial Fan, fashioned from the shoulder blade of a water buffalo, the bone etched on one side with the figure of a dragon and fitted with a wooden handle carved in the form of a human head with a headdress, l. 13-1/8".
20th C. Indonesian Batak Horn & Wood Medicine Holder: Indonesia, Sumatra, Toba Batak peoples, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A hand-carved medicine horn known as naga marsarang, expertly made from buffalo horn and redwood, for a shaman to store a potent substance known as pupuk. This container is comprised of two pieces that fit together; the lower portion is the hollowed out horn, and the projecting wooden plug is shaped as the torso and head of a monkey. The monkey is incised with geometric linear and star motifs. An outline of a frog's body is carved in relief onto the monkey's neck. Batak society has traditionally revered datuk (animist priests) and gurus who practiced medicine and were believed to possess supernatural powers and the power to predict the future. This is a beautifully carved vessel that was created for religious use! Size: 7. 5" L x 1" W (19 cm x 2. 5 cm); 6. 5" H (16. 5 cm) on included custom stand. . According to the Bowers Museum curatorial description, "The Toba Batak people live in the northern mountainous highlands of Sumatra, one of the several islands that constitute the Republic of Indonesia. A medicine horn (naga marsarang). would have belonged to a religious specialist who was able to communicate with the gods, conduct ceremonies, practice benevolent and malevolent magic, and provide assistance and advice in matters concerning daily life. The medicine horn functioned as a container for a highly potent substance considered magical and even deadly. The substance, called pupuk was prepared, used and handled only by Batak religious specialists. " . . Provenance: private Southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid 1980s. . All items legal to buy/sell under U. S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. . . A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. . We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. . #160419 Condition Wooden stopper is glued to the horn to prevent opening. Abrasions and mineral deposits on horn. Minor chip to monkey ear. Wood has developed a nice patina!
CATLINITE CARVED PIPE BOWL AND STEM stem with relief carved decoration, wide rectangular form, length: 14.5 in., bowl with incised line decoration, previous owner had the two-piece pipe evaluated by a museum Department of Anthropology. The summary from 1/10/83 is: "Pipe bowl and stem of catlinite, probably from the quarry near Pipestone, Minnesota. The bowl is typical late 19th century & 20th century calumet [ceremonial pipe]. The stem with low relief carvings on top of a turtle, a buffalo hoof & buffalo head probably adapted from carved wooden stems of ash wood. Both bowl and stem appear to be Sioux make" (2) Provenance: Originally owned by Dr. Howard Clarion Reamer of Baltimore, MD. After receiving his medical degree in Baltimore, he spent several years working with Indians in the western US - possibly Oklahoma. This two piece pipe is thought to have been acquired by Dr. Reamer during that time. Ownership by descent to his sister, Sarah Virginia Campbell Reamer, then to her niece, Mary Reamer Green, then to Mary K. Reamer (Mrs. Edwin C. Reamer), who sold it at auction April 9, 1980 to John C. Palmer of Middleburg, VA, then to present owner, a Virginia private collection Other Notes: see photos of Mary K. Reamer with the pipe
Gros Ventre Star Dance Parfleche Rattle c. 1900-: The lot features a rare parfleche dance rattle from the Gros Venre Atsina Native American Indians of Montana dating to the early to mid 20th Century. The piece would have been used for the Star Dance, a dance that was one of the rich ceremonies unique to the Gros Ventre Indians. E. S. Curtis was the first to document the “Star Dance” and recorded it on a wax cylinder at Fort Belknap Indian Reservation Montana in 1907. The dance is very sacred and items pertaining to it very scarce. The piece shows a Great American Bison Buffalo rawhide parfleche with spotted mineral ocher dyed design on a stripped wood handle with rawhide wrap. At the base of the handle shows two pieces of stripped red Stroud trade clothe. The rattle is sinew sewn into the iconic circle rattle design and when shaken many objects can be heard, creating a unique and desirable noise. Measures overall 12”L with an additional 6”L trade clothe fringe and is 5. 25”W x 1 3/8” thick. Star Dance rattles are very scarce with another example being valued at $3, 650 in a 2016 sale. Condition For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.
20th C. Indonesian Wood, Bone, & Carbon Steel Kris: Southeast Asia, Indonesia, ca. mid-20th century CE. A fine ceremonial sword known as a kris (keris) of a petite form. The hand-carved wooden handle takes the form of a parrot with flowing wings and a bulbous beak. The forged carbon-steel blade has a projecting hand guard, a straight profile, sharpened edges, and a pointed tip. The sheath is built from several components including a dark-brown wood guard protector, a slender caramel-hued blade housing, and a small disc and housing cap formed from water buffalo bone. Size: 3. 5" W x 12. 4" H (8. 9 cm x 31. 5 cm); length of blade: 8. 2" L (20. 8 cm). . . Provenance: private Los Angeles County, California, USA collection; ex-Joel Malter collection, Los Angeles, California, USA. . All items legal to buy/sell under U. S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. . . A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. . We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. . #140329 Condition Handle is removable from tang. Very slight bending to overall form of blade, with minor abrasions and oxidation to blade. Guard protector reattached to sheath body. Nice patina throughout.
Sioux Ghost Dance Buffalo Rattle Dance Club c 1890: Offered for public sale is this exceptionally rare and historic Ghost Dance Sioux Native American Indian Buffalo horn rattle dance club dating to circa 1890. The Ghost Dance movement of 1890 was a ceremonial dance created by the Northern Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka (Jack Wilson). Wovoka taught that when done properly the dance was believed to reunite the spirits of the living with the dead allowing them to fight on their behalf, causing the white colonist to leave and bring peace, prosperity and unity to the Native American peoples. The war club like dance wand rattle is constructed of a stripped wood haft that is completely wrapped with a Great American Bison Buffalo Indian tanned hide and sewn with a sinew thread. The haft covering still shows remnants of the Buffalo fur. The head shows two Buffalo horns wrapped in Buffalo hide with the fur still on and accented by early chalk white pony pound beads. When shaken, the dance wand emits a rattle caused by some foreign object being embedded into the horns. The entire piece shows an even patina and unique design. Provenance: From the late E. E. Dorssom estate of Leavenworth, Kansas. Measures 10" wide and 23. 25" long. Condition For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.
Southern Plains Split Buffalo Horn War Bonnet 1870: This is an exceptional and rare, Southern Plains Native American Indian, split Buffalo horn war bonnet from circa 1870’s. The piece is likely from the Southern Cheyenne or Comanche Indians from the third quarter of the 19th Century. The piece was listed by Christies Auction House in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s and sold in one of their American Indian Art sales in New York for $8, 500; the original tag is still present. The piece was purchased by Cyrus Eaton and is from his London, England collection. The war bonnet headdress is comprised of an Indian brain-tanned hide cap with hundreds of hand-cut ermine hides attached, along with strips of trade cloth, trade beads, and old hawk trade bells. The original hide ties traps are still attached at the front. There are two long strips of red and blue stroud trade cloth affixed to the back, along with eight long strips of lone red horse tail hair. The horse tail hair strips or horse mane strips are wrapped in small Buffalo hide sleeves and are attached with hide lacing to the cap. The front shows a beautiful beaded strip on the front of the brow and two split, shaved, and polished Buffalo Bison horns attached to the top of the cap that have dyed horse tail hair and small ermined hide strips on the tips. There are two wound glass, pony sky blue strands securing the tips of the horns to the cap. The front also shows red dyed horse tail hair drops, which are further adorned with rolled tin jingle cones, copper conchos, and hide lacing. The hide has a nice patina inside, with signs of age and use. The Cheyenne were known to decorate head dresses and war bonnets with long horse tail hair, braided or hung loose. Authentic, split horn war bonnets are extremely rare, with this truly being an exceptional example with honest Indian Wars ceremonial use. Provenance: Originally Purchased from Christies American Indian Art Sale in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s for $8, 500 by Cyrus Eaton of London, England and still has the Christies Auction Tag. The piece comes on a custom headdress display stand made from a mic stand. The headdress measures 45”L and is about 13. 5”W at the horns.
RARE BLACKFEET QUILLED & BEADED BUFFALO HEADDRESSThis is an incredible, large buffalo horn headdress with polychrome painted buffalo trailer along with beadwork and quillwork from the Blackfeet Indians of Montana. This is truly a large, heavy head dress / headdress that features a long polychrome painted and decorated buffalo / bison hide trailer that hangs off the back of the headdress. The headdress is comprised of an Indian tanned buffalo hide cap that hangs down the back around 18-inches along with two full, polished buffalo horns affixed to the cap with thick buffalo hide lacing. There is a beautiful beadwork blue brow band showing a wonderful hour-glass or snake pattern done with early glass trade seed beads in cobalt and sky padre light blue. There are several drops of old trade clothe, beads, trade ribbons and two drops of what appears to be human hair, but could be horse tail hair tied onto the side temple areas along with older brass sewing thimbles. The inside of the cap bonnet is lined with old trade clothe. The buffalo hide trailer is attached to the cap with thick hide lacing and measures 58 inches in length by about 12 inches in width. It is artfully decorated with painted designs and symbols, strips of hide lacing and twenty-four large tarnished metal trade sleigh bells / large hawk bells. The painted symbols are in a wonderful Blackfeet / Blackfoot fashion, said to represent the owner’s war exploits and life experiences. There is a pictorial scene with a Blackfoot warrior holding a tomahawk and what appears to be a gunstock war club and a horse. The horse scene has a unique object painted in front of the horse that is noted by such scholars such as John Ewers wrote about it being some kind of “thing” or mystery object. Some theorize that it could be a medicine bundle, but mainly nicknamed the “thing”. It appears in other documented Blackfeet rock art pictographs and paintings with horses, similar to how it appears here in the scene with the horse. There are other painted symbols and designs which are documented as Blackfoot in colors of yellow, green, red and blue. The artwork is extensive and masterfully done. Above the beaded brown band shows large solid brass concho button spots in a long row on trade clothe muslin. The tip of each polished buffalo horn shows four Indian tanned hide fringes wrapped in porcupine quill, quillwork with natural ocher / ochre mineral pigment dyes having small rolled tin jingle dangle cones and brass covered metal hawk trade bells. The headdress was noted by the Ted Levy collection as being from the Indian Wars era of the 19th Century, circa 1880, please examine the pictures and preview the piece in order to deduce your own representation of age and origin. The headdress or war bonnet shows a combination of early 19th Century materials and manufacture with some later repairs or additions, but overall a historic, large and impressive war bonnet headdress. Some stiffening to the back hide, the top is soft, little to no hair loss to the hide, only slight bead and quill loss, some fading to the paint, but overall the piece displays beautifully. Taylor and Levy noted the piece was likely used later on, on the Indian Reservations for ceremonial purposes. Measures overall 68”L from the tip of the horn to the bottom of the trailer and about 18 inches wide. Total weight of 4 lbs. 10 oz.
1938 Amos Bad Heart Buffalo 1869-1913 Plate XXIII: This is an original photography negative plate XXIII plate limited edition circa 1938 of Amos Bad Heart Buffalo (1869 - 1913) ledger art of the ceremony of the public Grass Dance in honor of the warrior He Dog. Amos Bad Heart Buffalo (also referred to as Amos Bad Heart Bull, Eagle Bonnet, Wa?blí Wap?áha) a very notable Oglala Lakota Sioux Native American Indian ledger artist, created his famous Ledger book showing amazing hand drawn illustrations depicting important history, the pieces were photographed and later Amos Bad Heart Buffalo was buried with his original ledger book upon his death in 1913 and the original plates were thought to have been lost, but later were recovered and a very limited series named Paintings Of The Sioux and Other Tribes of The Great Plains: Sioux Indian Painting Part I and Part II The Art of Amos Bad Heart Buffalo printed in 1938 by C. Szwedzicki and V. Grespin in Nice, France. The dance represents the battle on "Powder River" in 1876 when Lakota Sioux and Cheyeene were attacked and killed by U. S. Soldiers. There were only 400 total pieces made from the original photograph plate made in 1938 with this being hand numbered 72/400 and considered Part 11 of The Art of Amos Bad Heart Buffalo: Scenes from Custer Battle. This piece was published by C. Sewedzicki in Nice, France and is completely hand colored, making it nearly an original work of art. The is a song that commemorates a fight on the Powder River that coincides with this times piece of art that reads: He was their friend - They were his friends - Everyone failed him - Even his own people. Amos Bad Heart Buffalo or by his personal name Eagle Lance was the son of notable Ogalala warrior and was one of the hostile's in the Battle of Little Big Horn, Amos Bad Heart Buffalo repeatedly shows his father in action in his drawings. He Dog, the uncle of Amos Bad Heart Buffalo also participated, so that from father and uncle to son he had ample opportunity to learn first hand of the exploits that marked combat. Amos Bad Heart Buffalo, well known among the Lakota Sioux as an exceptional artist, reported that he filled three ledgers full of drawings with artwork similar to the pictures reproduced in this portfolio; however only one of the ledgers is extant and is owned by the artist's sister and has been made the subject of an extended report by the discoverer, Miss Helen Blish from Carnegie Corporation and was only offered in limited capacity as the originals are buried with the artist. This is an extremely RARE example of his artwork published by C. Sewedzicki and was professionally framed in Red Wing, Minnesota by Bob Chester in the month of Fed. 2006. The condition of this artwork is good with no obvious signs of damage to the artwork and very slight wear to the frame. The measurements of this framed artwork is 17 3/4" x 24 7/8" and the visible art measures 11 1/4" x 18 1/2". Truly a significant and rare original piece.
Framed R. Santiago Painting - "Thanksgiving" ca. 2015: **Originally Listed At $900**. . Roseta Santiago (American, b. 1946). "Thanksgiving" - oil on linen, ca. 2015. Signed by artist on lower right. "Thanksgiving o/linen R. Santiago 16x20" written in red on the verso. A striking still-life by artist Roseta Santiago featuring several ears of Indian corn (or flint corn) with kernels and a bowl arranged upon a tabletop that is covered with deer or buffalo hide. Santiago's command of tenebroso - a Baroque innovation in representing light to capture strong light and dark contrasts - is evident as the light shines upon the objects and creates striking shadow effects. The ensemble of objects - Indian corn, pottery, and buffalo or deer hide - speaks to the history of New Mexico and the indigenous of the Southwest. According to the Autry Museum of the American West's description of Roseta Santiago's oeuvre, "She paints the beauty and integrity surrounding each of her subjects—usually objects that have been made by hand with primitive tools and resources—and is a master storyteller about the images she paints. " Size: 19. 25" W x 15. 4" H (48. 9 cm x 39. 1 cm); (frame): 24. 625" W x 20. 625" H (62. 5 cm x 52. 4 cm). . The Autry Museum of the American West's complete artist biography reads, "Roseta Santiago was born and raised in Washington, D. C. , where she studied graphic design and advertising. In 1976 she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and then to Miami, Florida, spending twenty-four years designing, installing, and building themed public spaces. She was also contracted to paint murals in twenty-three Bass Pro Shops’ premier sporting goods stores in the U. S. , Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica. In 2000, after moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santiago realized her dream of becoming a fine art painter. Self-taught, she paints every day. . Mystery and light engulf the unique Western and Asian artifacts that are the subjects of her early body of work. She paints the beauty and integrity surrounding each of her subjects—usually objects that have been made by hand with primitive tools and resources—and is a master storyteller about the images she paints. Her current body of work expresses feelings and stories about the people who made these objects. 'Traditional peoples are fascinating to me; their beliefs, regalia, ceremonies, and day-to-day life. '. . Recognized and collected internationally, Santiago’s work may be found in the permanent collections of the Tucson Museum of Art, the Booth Museum of Western Art, and many private collections. She has successfully exhibited for nine years at the Eiteljorg’s Quest for the West Art Show and Sale; the Taos Museum–Fechin House in Taos, New Mexico; the Desert Caballeros Western Museum’s Cowgirl Up! show; the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, and Settlers West’s American Miniatures exhibition. ". . Santiago is also a featured artist in the book "Western Art of the Twenty-first Century: Native Americans" by E. Ashley Rooney. You can read more about her in, "Conversations in Paint Language: The Art of Roseta Santiago. " . . Provenance: private Glorieta, New Mexico, USA collection, acquired directly from artist Roseta Santiago. . All items legal to buy/sell under U. S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. . . A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. . We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. . #154144 Condition Paintng is signed by artist on lower right. "Thanksgiving o/linen R. Santiago 16x20" handwritten in red on the verso. Frame has "2/17 Gallery 931-1" on verso. A few minor scuffs - nicks to frame as shown, but otherwise excellent. Wired for suspension.
Oscar Berninghaus (1874–1952) — The Domain of Their Ancestors (1925): . Oscar Berninghaus (1874–1952). The Domain of Their Ancestors (1925). oil on canvas. 25 × 30 inches. signed lower right. . VERSO. Label, Mongerson Wunderlich, Chicago, Illinois. Label, Wunderlich & Co. , New York, New York. Label, The Taft Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio. . Western art historian Dr. Larry Len Peterson writes, “For over a century, artists have answered the call of the mountains, yet one painting stands at the pinnacle, The Domain of Their Ancestors. The incomparable setting showcases Mt. Grinnell on the left and Mt. Wilbur in the center, located in the Many Glacier region of the ‘Crown of the Continent, ’ Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana. Mt. Grinnell was named after George Bird Grinnell (1849-1938), the father of Glacier National Park; editor of Forest and Stream; prolific author; and along with his close friend Theodore Roosevelt, founder in 1887 of the Boone and Crockett Club. At the altar of the snow-covered massifs are Swift Current Lake and Falls. To the left of the falls is where Many Glacier Hotel – at the time the largest Hotel in Montana – was built in 1915 by Louis Hill’s Great Northern Railway (GNR). . “The noble, mounted chief donning a peace medal in the center foreground is Blackfeet Two Guns White Calf (1872-1934). After the death of Chief Joseph in 1904 and Geronimo in 1909, he was the most famous Native American in the nation for decades. Chief Two Guns is the Indian most closely associated with the buffalo nickel, designed by James Earle Fraser (1876-1953) and minted from 1913 to 1938. The GNR touted him as the model, and tourists couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of him as they disembarked at the East Glacier Park train station. In addition, he traveled the country for the GNR, promoting the ‘Alps of North America’ and appeared on the front page of almost every major newspaper in the country. The railway also showcased Winold Reiss (1866-1953) paintings of him on tens of thousands of their Brown & Bigelow calendars. Two Guns was a national celebrity. Born near Fort Benton, Montana, he was the son of White Calf, a famed Blackfeet chief. His father was a leading representative for the Blackfeet when they negotiated the 1895 treaty with the United States. After White Calf died in 1902, Two Guns became a tribal chief and spokesman. He was the head of an organization called the Mad Dog Society whose goal was to preserve Blackfeet heritage, which included the Sundance and Ghost Dance ceremonies. Two Guns lobbied in Washington, D. C. , demanding additional payments for the land ceded in 1895 that became the eastern portion of Glacier National Park – the domain of his Blackfeet ancestors. One reporter in admiration called him the ‘William Jennings Bryan of the red race. ’. . “Still, it took Oscar E. Berninghaus and his grand imagination to create one of the greatest tributes to Two Guns and Glacier National Park. Born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 2, 1874, he fell in love with art from time spent at his father’s lithography business. He wrote, ‘The painter must first see his picture as paint-as color-as form-and not as a landscape or figure. ’ In 1915 Berninghaus along with five other celebrated artists founded the Taos Society of Artists (TSA), which disbanded twelve years later, but only after making an indelible mark on Western art. An example of his tireless devotion to the promotion of the TSA was writing over 125 letters during his tenure as secretary to art patrons in St. Louis where he once exhibited with Charles M. Russell. Russell owned Bull Head Lodge in Glacier National Park, and surely he touted the unparalleled vistas of Glacier country to his artist friend. Below the artist’s signature in his hand writing is ‘after photo. ’ Most likely the painting was inspired by a collage of photographs taken by Roland Reed (1864-1934), one of the most renowned pictorialist photographers of his generation. After a long, illustrious career, Berninghaus died of a heart attack on April 27, 1952 in Taos, New Mexico. There is no finer example of The American West Reimagined than this masterpiece. As legendary Bob Drummond – the most important force in the history of the Western art auction – wrote, The Domain of Their Ancestors is ‘the best Berninghaus painting ever painted. ’”. . PROVENANCE. Mongerson-Wunderlich Galleries, Chicago, Illinois. William J. Williams, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1987. Private collection, 2013. . EXHIBITED. Frontier Memories: 19th & 20th Century Art of the American West, Cincinnati, Ohio, The Taft Museum of Art, 2004-05. . LITERATURE. Larry Len Peterson, The Call of the Mountains: The Artists of Glacier National Park, Settlers West Galleries, 2002, p. 141, illustrated. Larry Len Peterson, John Fery: Artist of Glacier National Park and the American West, Coeur d’Alene Art Auction and Settlers West Galleries, 2015, p. 117, illustrated. Larry Len Peterson, Blackfeet John L. “Cutapuis” Clarke and the Silent Call of Glacier National Park: America’s Wood Sculptor, Sweetgrass Books, 2019, p. 205, illustrated. Gordon E. Sanders, Oscar Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Frontier West, Taos Heritage Publishing Company, 1985, p. 123, listed. . View more information Condition Surface condition is excellent. No signs of restoration.
Lakota Sioux at Fort Meade Photograph 19th C. : The lot features an original authentic photograph of a group of Lakota Sioux Native American Indians outside of Fort Meade, South Dakota dating to the 19th Century. The photograph is taken by May J. Stilwell of Sturgis, South Dakota. May Stilwell was relative to L. W. Stilwell of Deadwood, South Dakota, the famous photographer who photographed such famous warriors as American Horse, Chief Lone Bear, Red Feather, Sitting Bull, Woman's Dress, White Buffalo, Chief White Thunder, Chief Yellow Hair, Crow Eagle, and Rain-in-the-Face. Stilwell also was known to have photographed Buffalo Bill with various Indians. The piece is marked on the cabinet card, "May J. Stilwell / STURGIS. / S. D. ". The photograph shows over a dozen Lakota Sioux Indians in ceremonial war paint and headdress standing around a large drum. Some of the Lakota are holding catlinite peace pipes, one is holding a Winchester Model 1873 Carbine, and another a Winchester Model 1886 saddle ring carbine (the large caliber / bore ammunition can be seen on his ammo belt). The photograph is believed to be taken outside of Fort Meade in South Dakota and dating to the 19th Century. The image also shows a dozen western frontiersmen seated on the fort fence looking onto the Indian ceremony. The image shows exceptional detail and is in fine condition. Cabinet card measures overall 4. 25"x6. 5". Provenance: From a large Montana and Western Ephemera and Photograph collection in Bozeman, Montana. Other L. W. Stilwell photographs have sold at auction for as much as $6, 000 for the Comanche Jack cabinet card sold by Cowan's at their 6/13/2014 sale. Condition For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.
Karl Bodner ANTIQUE ORIGINAL ENGRAVING OF NIAGARA FALLS Prince Maximillian Plate Marking Manceau Eagle Weber American West Title: Niagara FallsArtist: Karl BodmerMedium: EngravingFeatures: OriginalPrint Year: 1839-1842Width: 24.75" Height: 17.75"Art Notes: This is one of greatest landscape images to result from Bodmer's and Prince Maximilian's expedition. Bodmer saw the Falls for the first time on 28 June 1834 and was clearly inspired by the scenic splendor of one of the great natural wonders of the world. The travelers had reached the Falls towards the end of their expedition. Leaving Vincennes, Indiana, on about 11 June, they had traveled east, arriving on the Ohio opposite Louisville, Kentucky. Here they took ship for Cincinnati and Portsmouth following the route of the Ohio Canal along the Scioto River north to Cleveland on Lake Erie. From here they took a steamboat to Buffalo, New York. Niagara Falls remained a favorite subject of artists throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, but the present representation is arguably the finest to appear in print.Karl Bodmer's images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867) specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians. In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian's servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. Well-armed with information and advice, the party finally left St.Louis, on the most important stage of their travels, aboard the steamer Yellow Stone on April 10 1833. They proceeded up the treacherous Missouri River along the line of forts established by the American Fur Company. At Bellevue they encountered their first Indians, then went on to make contact with the Sioux tribe, learning of and recording their little known ceremonial dances and powerful pride and dignity. Transferring from the Yellow Stone to another steamer, the Assiniboin, they continued to Fort Clark, visiting there the Mandan, Mintari and Crow tribes, then the Assiniboins at Fort Union, the main base of the American Fur Company. On a necessarily much smaller vessel they journeyed through the extraordinary geological scenery of that section of the Missouri to Fort Mackenzie in Montana, establishing a cautious friendship with the fearsome Blackfeet. From this, the westernmost point reached, it was considered too dangerous to continue and the return journey downstream began. The winter brought its own difficulties and discomforts, but Bodmer was still able to execute numerous studies of villages, dances and especially the people, who were often both intrigued and delighted by his work. The portraits are particularly notable for their capturing of individual personalities, as well as forming a primary account of what were to become virtually lost cultures.Graff 4648; Howes M443a; Pilling 2521; Sabin 47014; Wagner-Camp 76:1.
RARE INDIAN MADE HORSE MASK, LATE 19TH CENTURY, AND VOLUME 74, APRIL 1999, NUMBER 2 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW. 1) Made of two pcs of tanned buffalo robe; top section having longer hair to suggest a buffalo’s forelock. A pair of cow buffalo horns tufted with red down feathers attached appropriately at the temples. Eyeholes, bases of horns, forelock margin and outline of mask bordered with short buckskin fringes. Northern Plains and Plateau Indian peoples utilized imposing horse masks for ceremonial purposes and horse parades. A rare few, such as this example, represented buffalo, and when pressed into use imparted buffalo power to a warrior’s mount. Mask mounted in wooden packing case covered with paper, and printed on back, "CHIEF THUNDERBIRD/FRED HARVEY/INDIAN BUILDING/ALBUQUERQUE/NEW MEXICO". As per owner, "according to Moon’s family, Moon acquired this from his friend Chief Thunderbird and is of Cheyenne origin". Driebe 1997, pg 424. Size: Mask 18-1/2" long, horn tip to horn tip 15-1/2". CONDITION: No apparent damage. 2) Historical Review: various articles about historic aspects of New Mexico, including Albuquerque and the Alvarado Hotel—illustrated. 4-55236 (9,000-12,000)
EARLY 20TH CENTURY ASPERGER—PLAINS CEREMONIAL BUFFALO TAIL WHISK AND LATE 19TH CENTURY PLAINS BEADED BELT. 1) Aspergers can be used in a variety of manners, including applying water to the heated rocks in the Sweat Lodge Ceremony, as well as "brushing" in healing ceremonies. This example is made from the tail tassel of a buffalo (American bison), sewn around a stick handle and decorated with loosely wrapped rows of beads. Size: 21" long. CONDITION: Hair somewhat desiccated—some loose: some moth or dermestid damage. 2) BELT, of child’s size, constructed from end panels of two different "tipi bags"—a type of storage bag also called "possible bag." Size: 28" long. CONDITION: Sinew stitches joining the two middle sections disjointed for ½" in length. Slight bead loss. 4-55245 BL23 (300-400)
"Indian Life" Charles M. Russell Framed Print: For your consideration is this driftwood framed Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) print, "Indian Life". Russell Painted this depiction of Indian life in 1900, the original hangs in the Wichita Art Museum in Wichita, KS. The painting shows an Indian camp with three Native men sitting outside a tipi, smoking a ceremonial pipe, while two women work on scraping a buffalo hide and a large pot is over a fire. The print and the frame are in good condition. The print measures about 18" x 25"; framed: 24" x 31. 5". Condition For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.
Edward S. Curtis, (1868 - 1952) The North American Indian Portfolio XII, 1922, 36 photogravures on Japanese Gampi tissue with original Van Gelder overmats signed in the plate below image: E. S. Curtis Featuring the Hopi tribe of the Southwest. LIMITED EDITION: This Portfolio is from set #96, printed on handmade Japanese gampi tissue paper, quarto, original ¾ brown crushed levant by H. Blackwell of Boston, over beige linen-covered boards, original gilt lettered, with photogravure plates by Suffolk Engraving Company of Boston after photographs by Edward S. Curtis, edited by Frederick Webb Hodge, Chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology, field research conducted under the patronage of J. Pierpont Morgan. PORTFOLIO: 36 large format photogravures, including a List of Plates reference that is hand letterpress printed on hand-made paper. Loose bound in a hand-made, 3-flap portfolio. In the summer of 1900, after his brief expedition with George Bird Grinnell to the Great Plains, Curtis made his first independent, self-financed trip into the field. For this important trip, he chose to photograph the Hopi, Navajo, and Apache of the Southwest. He was intrigued by what he had read and heard about their rich, traditional culture and their spectacular ceremonies. Curtis's initial intrigue was confirmed during this visit, and from 1900 to 1925 Curtis would study and photograph the various tribes of the Southwest more frequently than those of any other area. He ultimately devoted more volumes of The North American Indian to the Southwest than to any other region. Portfolio XII focuses exclusively on the Hopi, showing aspects of their architecture, mythology, arts and dress. Many of Curtis' most compelling photographs can be found in this portfolio. There are the striking portraits of "A Hopi Man" and "A Walpi Man". "The Potter" depicting the skilled artisan named Nampeyo. And four incredible portraits of Hopi Snake Priests, in addition to images of their Buffalo and Snake Dance ceremonies. Said Curtis, "I couldn't make pictures of their religious ceremonies unless I entered into their inner life and understood it from their standpoint." Curtis's immersion in the cultures of the Southwest Indians, which were so inextricably intertwined with the land itself, is clearly evident in the photographs he made in the region. 36 photogravures on Japanese Gampi tissue with original Van Gelder overmats Dimensions: folio: 23 x 19 in. (58.42 x 48.26 cm.), prints: 18 x 22 in. (45.72 x 55.88 cm.) Provenance: Edward S. Curtis Studio William Henry Moore The Moore Memorial Library The Christopher G. Cardozo Collection, 2001
PHOTOGRAPHY: AFTER ANSEL ADAMS (AMERICAN, 1902-1984) "BUFFALO DANCE, SAN ILDEFONSO PUEBLO, NEW MEXICO, 1928", BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOG...PHOTOGRAPHY: After Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984) "Buffalo Dance, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, 1928", black and white photograph of Hopi Indians dancing in line with gourd rattles, ornately dressed and decorated in ceremonial garb, nicely framed and matted behind glass, artist information label verso reads "Indian ceremonial dance, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, c. 1929", along with a framer's label, not examined out of frame, wear consistent with age, under museum glass, ss: 7 1/4" h. x 9" w.
Rare 19th C. Lakota Sioux Buffalo Hide & Wood Drum: Native American, Lakota Sioux tribe, modern day North and South Dakota, ca. 1870 to 1890 CE. A rare and gorgeously preserved hand drum, known as a "cancega", made from a cottonwood tree trunk with hand-scraped buffalo rawhide stretched over one open side. The face is painted with bright, earthy pigments - ocher yellow, deep blue, bright red, and orange - that, although time has somewhat faded them, remain clearly on the face. The artist painted a sunburst at the center and a series of triangles around the edges. Fascinatingly, "cancega" means "wooden bucket", a delightfully down-to-earth name for this important musical instrument. Size: 11" W x 3" H (27. 9 cm x 7. 6 cm); 14. 95" H (38 cm) on included custom stand. . The cancega tradition is long and continues in the Lakota Sioux community today. The sound of the drum, often played using a tree branch, serves as a central, sacred point for tribal ceremonies and is treated with respect - some drums are even so important that the community will have a yearly festival with a feast to honor the drum, serving deer or buffalo, wild berries, corn, and water, with some of the food placed ceremonially near the drum. The hand drum is the smaller of the Lakota Sioux drums and is used in tighter, interior spaces such as inside a sweat lodge; a larger bass drum is used for a powwow or gathering. The player will use four basic rhythms to lead seven major dances. However, not all drum use is sacred and ceremonial. Pete McDonnell, interviewing Severt Young Bear, a traditional Lakota singer, learned that, "hand drums were often used in the home to accompany family members' signing, and that this home-based singing was a way for the family to connect with each other and to work through emotions--off happiness, sadness, anger-whatever the mood was at the time" (on McDonnell's blog "The Circle is a Circuit", January 19, 2009). . . Provenance: Tambaran Gallery, New York, New York, USA, purchased from Craig Finch, London, UK, on March 12, 2014. . All items legal to buy/sell under U. S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. . . A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. . We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. . #149088 Condition A few tiny tears at the edges of the hide; there are also two tiny holes along the upper edge. Small stains and deposits are on the surface, mainly around the edges. The motifs are faded but still clear. Excellent patina on the hide.
Northern Plains "Red Horn" Rawhide Ceremonial Drum: Featured in this lot is this Northern Plains Indians "Red Horn" rawhide ceremonial drum. The drum shows a naturally dyed polychrome drum face of "Red Horn" and features two buffalo bison horns on the top end of the drum. Red Horn is a culture hero in Siouan oral traditions, specifically of the Ioway and Hocak (Winnebago) nations. The condition of this drum is good, with no obvious signs of damage and some wear consistent with the age of the drum. The measurements of this drum are 18" x 16 1/4" x 3".
Three American Indian portraits: the first a 19th C. colored lithograph, Daniel Rice & James G. Clark publishers, "Tshi-Zun-Hau-Kau, A Winebago" [sic], depicting man with in cream tunic holding ceremonial tomahawk and forecasting and/or divination rod, mid-20th C. Schwartz Picture Frame Co. (Chicago) silver foil label verso, minor toning, ss: 15 1/8" h. x 12 7/8" w.; along with two offset lithographs: "Wa-Pel-La, Chief of the Musquakees", depicting man in furred and feathered stole, some wrinkles; and "Kish-Ke-Kosh, A Fox Brave", depicting warrior in horned buffalo head cap holding feathered staff and beaded green cudgel, ss: 14 1/2" h. x 11 1/2" w., all labeled under image, all matted and framed behind glass, none examined out of frames.
PLAINS BUFFALO BULL SKULL. Owner states that the Moon family represented this to have belonged to Chief Thunderbird Ca. 1880. Painted in a manner for ceremonies such as for the Sun Dance. Owner states that the overall pattern of green dots represents hail stones that call upon the might of the Thunderbirds – the most powerful beings in the universe. The skull is mounted on a wooden placque and stenciled on the back "Old medicine skull/From my friend/Chief/Thunderbird/Karl Moon. See Driebe 1997, pg 424. Size: 23-1/2" x 17". CONDITION: Exhibits weathering. 4-55241 (3,000-6,000)
Crow Polychrome Painted Parfleche War Shield c1870: This is an outstanding polychrome painted parfleche war shield attributed to the Crow Native American Indians in Colorado of the 19th Century. The shield is thought to date to the mid-1800s. It has a concave shape and was carved from the shoulder hump of a Buffalo Bison, which was then wetted and stretched and allowed to parfleche. These types of thin, concave shaped Indian shields that are cut from the shoulder hump of a Buffalo have been documented as noted and shown in John Baldwin’s 2003 book, “Indian Shields, Guns and Spears of the American Frontier”. These thinner parfleche shields that nearly seem translucent were also known to be used for ceremonial and dance purposes. The shield, which holds the original arm strap still attached on the back, shows a polychrome mineral pigment painted finish with predominately medium green background on the front and a large round red spot at the center, framed in black with an additional line in yellow and black and further accented by seven yellow circular spots evenly spaced. Some of the paint has worn off and faded over time, exposing the parfleche brown hide coloring. There is a Buffalo tail tied on with a brass thimble on the left side of the shield. The John Baldwin book also shows an example of a similar shield attributed to the Crow that also has a Buffalo tail attached to the front left side and is shown for comparison. Speculatively, the tail tied to the shield may indicate a membership in an Indian “society”, a sub culture of tribal affiliation, such as the Hunkpapa’s, Dog Soldiers, etc. The piece is a nice Indian Wars example that has been nicely preserved. Provenance: From the ex-collection of Cyrus Eaton of London, England. The shield is 23 inches across.