Antique Great Lakes or Eastern Plains Beaded Woman’s Belt Circa 1880 (#18-114)

A wonderful antique beaded woman’s belt from the Eastern Plains or Western Great Lakes (Minnesota or the Dakotas). Perhaps Ojibway. Beaded with cotton thread on black wool stroud cloth with four colors of tiny seed beads (white, blue, pink, and a translucent red), as well as metal sequins, and a braided metallic thread border. The belt is oval in shape, and has a native tanned leather tie on each end. It has a design of unusual repeating abstract motifs. The condition is fair for its age with several areas of bead loss, particularly around the edges, and some missing sequins (please refer to photographs). A beautiful and unusual piece showing evidence of age and Native use. Collected at a trading post on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Circa 1870’s-80’s. 26″ L without leather ties 2 3/16″ W