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Woven dance belt made of commerical yarn colored in red and white / Leon Bell

Essay/Description

A yarn dance belt with three tassled cords on each end. Red and white yarn. The belt is heddle/loom woven in a technique that produces double thickness of textile. On one side, the designs appear in red with white background. The designs are two feathers, two stickball racquets, one eagle and one waterbird. The tassles are woven in a four-ply technique.

Curatorial Remarks

This belt is constructed using the heddle weave technique. The yarn used for the ends and the interior are a worsted weight yarn while the yarn used for the edges are a fingering weight.

Karen Berry, Cherokee artist, 2019.

Traditional Southeastern iconography mixed with Native American Church symbolism.

Tags: stomp dance, traditional iconography, Native American Church symbolism, waterbird, stickball sticks, feather, red, white, commercial yarn
People: Muscogee (Creek), Leon Bell
Places: Eastern Oklahoma
Purpose: ceremonial events, social events, stomp dance

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

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Title(s): 
Woven dance belt made of commerical yarn colored in red and white
Creator(s): 
Leon Bell (Artist)
Culture: 
Native American; Muscogee (Creek)
Date: 
1990s
Place: 
Oklahoma, Shawnee
Materials/Techniques: 
wool, commercial yarn
Classification: 
Object Type: 
Accession No: 
95.27
Previous Number(s): 
TL1999.72.1
Department: 
Not On View

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