Sioux. <em>Shirt for Chief's War Dress</em>, 19th century. Buckskin, pony beads, porcupine quills, maidenhair fern stem, human hair, horsehair, dye, feather, 44 x 68 in. (111.8 x 172.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.1a. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.1a_edited_SL1.jpg)

Sioux. Shirt for Chief's War Dress, 19th century. Buckskin, pony beads, porcupine quills, maidenhair fern stem, human hair, horsehair, dye, feather, 44 x 68 in. (111.8 x 172.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.1a. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.1a_edited_SL1.jpg)

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Can you tell me more about the war shirt I'm a designer and I love the ornaments.

There are some really incredible details to the war shirt, for one, it's made from one piece of deer hide that is ingeniously folded and fashioned to create this draping style.

The porcupine quills are another fascinating detail. The traditional way of flattening them would be for the quill-worker to keep them in her mouth to keep them soft and pliable, and then flatten them with her teeth.

The long fringe could be an indication that the wearer was a storyteller, the fringe would move and sway, emphasizing the arm movements of the orator.

Also, the glass beads were some of the first beads introduced by non-Native traders to the Northern Plains in the early 1800s. They were called "pony beads" because they were transported by pony pack trains or "pound beads" because they were sold by the pound. Blue beads were popular because the color was rare in Indian dye sources. The combination of traditional quillwork and these beads indicates that the artist was a person of high social status whose family was able to trade for valuable materials.

What tribe does this belong to?

The shirt was created by a Sioux artist.

Is that local?

No. The Yanktonai, Nakota, Sioux live in the plains region of the United States. This object was collected in the 1830s at Fort Snelling, a US military outpost in Minnesota.

How are you able to preserve objects like this leather "Shirt for Chief's War Dress"?

That shirt in particular is not very old, dating to the early 19th century. In general, leather is a pretty durable material. Additionally, objects that have been specifically collected for museum contexts are very quickly subject to various conservation methods to preserve them, including climate and light control. As a part of our collection, this shirt wouldn't have been subject to the wear and tear of everyday life.

Tell me more.

The war shirt would have been made by a woman for on specific male chief. The designs reflect the military history of the man who would have originally worn it and he may have further modified it through personalized embellishments as seen here. The lines along the colored areas are believed to be tally marks.After a young man's first raid at age 15 or 16, he could be recognized as a warrior. Clothing was used to record and symbolize a man's heroics in battle, and would be displayed in the tipi, in the men's area opposite the doorway.

We're curious about this item.

This is a Sioux Chief's War Shirt, from the early 19th century. The chief likely wore this shirt while he was making speeches or telling stories, the fringe, as you can imagine, would exaggerate his movements as he talked!

The shirt is made of buckskin, pony beads (glass beads introduced by non-Native traders in the early 19th century), porcupine quills, maidenhair fern stems, and sinew used for sewing and beading. It also includes painted designs, including all those hourglass-shaped black sections. These actually represent bolts of trade cloth, likely a reference to peaceful trade relations.

Thanks!

What is this?

This war dress is made from a single carefully and cleverly folded deer hide. The details include porcupine quills, a long fringe, and glass beads of the type first introduced by non-native traders in the early 19th century.

The garment was created by a Yanktonai Sioux artist. The designs are specific to the wearer, and would have symbolized his military history.

Shirt for Chief's War Dress

Arts of the Americas

CULTURES Sioux; Probably Yanktonai, Nakota, Sioux

MEDIUM Buckskin, pony beads, porcupine quills, maidenhair fern stem, human hair, horsehair, dye, feather

Place Collected: Fort Snelling, Minnesota, United States

DATES 19th century

DIMENSIONS 44 x 68 in. (111.8 x 172.7 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas

ACCESSION NUMBER 50.67.1a

CREDIT LINE Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund

PROVENANCE Prior to 1848, provenance not yet documented; by 1848, acquired by Nathan Sturges Jarvis; 1848, gift of Nathan Sturges Jarvis to the New-York Historical Society, New York, NY; 1937, loaned by the New-York Historical Society to the Brooklyn Museum; 1950, purchased from the New-York Historical Society by the Brooklyn Museum.

Provenance FAQ

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Man's shirt, tailored as an "over-the-head" garment, and constructed from four pieces of hide (front, back and two sleeves). It is laced together from elbow to wrist on both sides, but the triangular bib is sewn on. Lazy stitch beadwork has been used on the bib and shoulders. Both the front and the back of the shirt are elaborately painted which is unusual. The upper quadrant on the proper left side of the shirt is stained a dark grayish brown, the upper right is smudged with reddish stain. The painted designs on these colored areas probably represent a tally related to war exploits. On the brownish area, sixteen linear objects, possibly stylized rifles, have been drawn in paint, one above the other. On the right, in the area partially stained in red, are seventeen linear designs in brown, bifurcated on the right side that may represent horse quirts. The shirt is also painted on the back with five geometric shapes that almost certainly represent people (torsos are triangular with round heads, but facial features are not indicated). Designs that probably represent horse tracks are on the right lower sleeve in front and on the reverse on the right shoulder. The lower left sleeve at the wrist is decorated with evenly spaced rows of short slashes. The beads used to decorate the shirt are almost entirely large blue and white pony beads, although there are some tube beads on the epaulets and along the sleeve. The porcupine quills are dyed mainly orange and white. The two rosettes on the chest are quilled with brown fern stems and white porcupine quills and are also appliquéd with white pony beads. There are some remnants of white fur on the tips of the fringe at the hip of the shirt. One feather was attached to fringe. Hair locks are made partly of human hair and partly of horsehair dyed blue-green with a few light colored hairs interspersed among the locks. The locks are wrapped at the base with porcupine quills. This shirt is part of an outfit with leggings 50.67.1b, c.

EXHIBITIONS

Tipi: Heritage of the Great Plains

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Sioux. Shirt for Chief's War Dress, 19th century. Buckskin, pony beads, porcupine quills, maidenhair fern stem, human hair, horsehair, dye, feather, 44 x 68 in. (111.8 x 172.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.1a. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.1a_edited_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE overall, edited, 50.67.1a_edited_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2009

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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