A woven or twined bag likely woven with a combination of nettle fiber and perhaps buffalo wool. On the recto side, three rows of interconnected Thunderbirds are flanked by columns of red and green woven yarns which form interlocking quadrilateral shapes. The verso side consists of an interlocking grid of diamonds, flanked by similarly rendered columns.

The bag portrays the juxtaposition of the Thunderbird on one side, and possibly the pools of the Underwater Panther on the verso. This duality demonstrates the cosmological struggle between the powers above and below. A very similar example which was collected by Milford Chandler (1889-1981) can now be found at the Smithsonian in Washington DC (#14/907).

6.5” tall and 10” 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. 91-92; John Painter, A Window on the Past: Volume Two (Cincinnati, OH: John Painter, 2003), p. 55.

#51135