The best book on Indian beading?

tipis

I do not have a digital camera but I will take some photos and will get the film developed as soon as I can. I also have to read how to post a picture on this forum.

There are bugle beads and seed beads in the earrings. She chose the bead color to match the ones on her leather dress but as we both know now, the whole thing could be wrong. When she goes to work she is gone for a couple of days so when she gets home, we can look through our borrowed books and see if they are similar to anything in there. There are about 6-8 strands that hang down from a triangle at the top if I remember correctly.

 

Can you post a picture of the Earings your wife did?

tipis,

I scanned the earrings and uploaded to photobucket. I have never used this type of service-pretty cool and for free!

Here is one of the earrings:

What can you tell me about them? Thanks

 

[Holley]

Well, you "loaded that from the right end".
You have a very modern day Powwow earing style. These have been popular since the "hippy" days and are great tourist items. They are not historic for the 1800-1850 period.
But I will meet you at the next dance for a twirl. :relax:

 

Hi tipis!

Thanks! Just what we kind of figured.:haha:

Yeah, when we saw all of that beautiful bead work at a Pow-Wow we were not sure if it was traditional work or modern work. Very, very impressive though. For our purposes, we are more interested in the time period you mentioned, 1800-1850. However, my wife did have fun going to the class and making them because they are still very different from the jewelry she currently makes.

I almost hate to ask, but could you take a look at the sheath I bought a few years ago at our local voos. I have brightened the image for you and that made the leather look a bit more yellow than it really is. It is brain tanned and smoked and is construted of a double layer of leather all the way around but I don't know what Nation the bead work may be representative of. I have been told that the red line may represent a heart/blood line and the the two yellow triangles represent your namesake: tipis. ha! What are those white shells with the horse hair in them called again? I can't remember. Thanks tipis.

:thumbsup:

 

[Holley]

What you have is a modern idea of an Indian knife shieth. They would have never used Dentilium shell on a knive. They are too fragil. These shells are used for chokers, necklaces and earrings.
The designs are tipis...the heart line thing I do not think so. But no one can really tell you what they mean today because they are mostly gone. A good knife shieth is beaded on both sides. The beads are definitly modern and part of the design is too.

But it is a VERY nicely constructed piece. You can use it at a rendezvous, but the shells are going to break fast. So, it is only good for display unless you take the shells off.

 

Tipis

Thanks! It is just a wall display by the ML rifle and hawk because I have already made a very plain PC sheath for my throwing knife. And I have already lost one of the Dentilium shells awhile back, just as you predicted! You know your stuff!!!!

Thanks for looking at it for me. Hope you stay out of harm's way down there.

 

[Holley]

Hey, come hell or high water, I am flying out of here on Wed. on a plane or broomstick for Bozemane, Mt. Give me some cool, little HUMIDITY, and NO hurricanes for a while :blah: and the company of great friends to spin new stories, toss a few drinks or generally have a good time. :applause: :applause: :applause: :RO: