Wooden peyote staff with feather decoration / Joseph Rice
Essay/Description
Four section wooden peyote staff of cocobolo wood. The bottom section presents a squared off spear-like point with a 2-inch beaded section at the top with peyote stitch in rust, red, green, and navy on blue ground with diagonal vertical bands in peyote colors with recessed brass ridged socket in end. The lower middle section has brass ridged coupling above which is cross-hatch carved chevron pattern and a 2-inch beaded band at top with black and white eagle feathers above brown horizon on blue ground in peyote stitch in yellow, orange, red, gold repeated twice to the top into which is recessed ridged brass socket. The upper middle section has brass ridged coupling at bottom above which is a carved chevron pattern in cross-hatched relief and 3-inch spire extends from the top. Plume at the top has a 1-inch beaded bird on blue ground with band of ermine, blue, green, black, and pink dyed chicken hackles, and a horsehair plume at the top.