A woven or twined bag likely woven with a combination of nettle fiber and perhaps buffalo wool. On the recto side, three rows of opposing quadrupeds. The two upper animals could be deer, while and bottom animal is likely a horse. The animals are flanked by columns of red woven yarns.

The verso side consists of a columns of hexagonal shapes, likely “whirlpools” churned up by the tail of the Underwater Panther. At the center of the composition, with a central hourglass form, there appears to be a downward-facing, perhaps diving, Thunderbird.

The inclusion of a horse here is interesting, as this animal became a major focal point of trade and wealth, particularly in the Eastern Plains. It is equally interesting to observe how conventions used to depict the Underwater Panther have been perhaps used to also come up with the new visual language for a new being: the horse.

6.5” tall and 8” wide

Ex Burton Thayer, MN (1899-1979); ex John Molloy, NY; ex John Painter, OH (1991-2007)

Published: John Painter, American Indian Artifacts: The John Painter Collection (Cincinnati, OH: George Tassian Organization Inc., 1991), p. 55; John Painter, A Window on the Past: Volume Two (Cincinnati, OH: John Painter, 2003), p. 55.

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