In House Shipping:
Native American tribes on the Great Plains used the natural resources around them as the foundation for their lifestyle. Whichever animal was most plentiful in the region they inhabited was hunted religiously, and its horns, sinew, and hide used for everything from cutlery to bow strings to shirts, pants, and moccasins. Starting in about 1840, colorful, tiny “seed” beads, usually 2 mm or less in diameter, began to be traded in bulk to the Plains Indians. The seed beads were the result of refined manufacturing techniques in Venice and Bohemia, which allowed beads of relatively uniform size, shape, and color to be produced. After 1870, translucent beads in even richer hues became popular. The different Plains Indian tribes developed their own unique preferences for particular bead colors, and Native American women meticulously embroidered incredible designs onto garments, papooses, and horse tack. The lifestyles of those Native American tribes on the Great Plains, whose cultures were built and passed down over numerous generations and thousands of years, eventually gave way to the westward expansion of the United States, and they were assimilated into Anglo-American culture or placed in modest reservations. This pair of Antique 19th Century Plains Indians Sinew Laced & “Seed” Beaded Deerskin Moccasins are in Fair Condition, with heavy scattered seam tearing to the soles of both moccasins, moderate seam tearing to the back heel of the right moccasin, some scattered small holes in the uppers of both moccasins, moderate scattered missing and loose bead-work to both moccasins, heavy scattered indenting and crazing to the sole of the right moccasin, and with moderate overall drying, stiffening, flattening, bending, fragility, and age wear evident. Most interestingly, they boast exquisite “seed” bead-work throughout, with a base layer of white porcelain-like beads, navy blue and “red white core” beads creating a star-like pattern at each instep, and a series of matching navy blue and “red white core” beads in a tepee-like pattern all around the outer edges. They feature deerskin bodies with folded down uppers, sinew lacing, and stitched deerskin soles, measure about 9 1/2” x 4 1/2”, and are an honest example of rare, original Antique 19th Century Plains Indians Sinew Laced & “Seed” Beaded Deerskin Moccasins.
