Collections Only

Gilcrease Museum is temporarily closed for construction.

Get the Full Story
Woman's dress with beadwork and fringe
Unknown
Double walled buckbrush round reed basket with walnut and bloodroot dye
Ella Mae Blackbear
  1. Collections Home
  2. The Anthropology Collection

Woman's hide dress with cape and silk ribbons / Unknown

Previous Next Download Add Order Contact

Curatorial Remarks

Cowry shells may have been a replacement for elk's teeth, and the shells become more popular in the 1900s. These shells were likely acquired in Texas. The mescal beans likely indicate peyote association. These beans were a symbol of power in the Native American Church.

Tags: mescal, cowry, silk ribbon, hide
People: Kiowa
Places: Southern Plains, Oklahoma
Purpose: domestic use, ceremonial use

From interviews with Dr. Garrick Bailey, 2018-2020 University of Tulsa, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology

You may be interested in...

©Gilcrease Museum
Title(s): 
Woman's hide dress with cape and silk ribbons
Creator(s): 
Unknown
Culture: 
Native American; Kiowa
Date: 
early 20th century - mid-20th century
Materials/Techniques: 
hide, glass, metal, seed, shell (cowrie), cotton, plastic
Classification: 
Ethnographic Objects
Object Type: 
Dress and Cape
Accession No: 
84.1792a-b
Previous Number(s): 
8427.1792
Department: 
Anthropology
Not On View

Our Online Collections site is a work in progress. If you have information about this item that may be of assistance, please contact us.