The Plateau Collection — Appraisal Catalogue

Beadwork — Floral/Contour

3 objects $1,450–$3,150

Plateau contour-beaded rose flat bag on cornflower-blue groundnotable

Fully beaded Plateau flat bag with three shaded red roses and buds on a cornflower-blue field, hide-bound with a buckskin handle and plum wool cloth back.

The face is solidly beaded in contour (appliqué) stitch: the background is worked in curved rows of opaque periwinkle-blue seed beads that follow the outlines of the motifs, while each rose petal is built from short lanes of translucent ruby and garnet beads with pale pink and white highlight streaks, outlined in orange-red — the shaded, almost painterly rose treatment that Columbia Plateau beadworkers are known for. Leaves and stems are worked in three or four shaded greens with beaded mid-ribs, and the whole panel is framed by a single dark navy row and a hand-sewn tan buckskin binding with a folded hide carrying handle. The back is plum/magenta wool trade cloth quilted with a stitched X and double corner lines, a construction commonly seen on Plateau bags from the second quarter of the 20th century onward. The beads are very uniform in size and fully saturated in colour, which argues for Czech/Bohemian seed beads and a date after c. 1920 rather than a turn-of-the-century piece; the workmanship, however, is of high quality, with dense even rows and no crowding, and large well-drawn rose bags are the most commercial Plateau beadwork form.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, possibly Yakama, Umatilla or Warm Springs; specific tribe not confirmed medium confidence
Period: mid-20th century, c. 1940-1970
Materials: glass seed beads (Czech/Bohemian type, incl. translucent reds and shaded greens), brain-tanned hide binding and handle, wool trade cloth back, cotton thread
Dimensions: beaded panel approx. 10 x 9 in; overall approx. 11 x 9.5 in (28 x 24 cm) excluding handle

Condition

Beadwork appears essentially complete, with tight even rows and no visible open patches, missing lanes or thread breaks in these photographs; a very small number of odd-coloured beads in the upper rose look original rather than repairs. The hide binding is intact but dry and lightly abraded at the lower corners, and the handle is creased and stretched from use. The wool back is clean with light lint and no obvious moth holes, though moth damage to wool, thread strength, bead-row tension and any odour can only be judged in hand.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unsigned. The contour-stitch floral style is characteristically Columbia Plateau and the value depends substantially on that attribution, which cannot be confirmed from photographs; under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it must not be marketed as the work of a specific tribe or named artist without documentation. No feathers, no restricted animal material (hide appears to be deer/elk brain-tan), and nothing suggesting a sacred, funerary or NAGPRA-sensitive context.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

A specialist dealer asks $1,500 for an early-20th-century two-sided Plateau floral flat bag of 8.75 x 10 in; comparable single-face Plateau pictorial and floral bags list on the open market in the $800-$1,200 band, and this bag's later date and cloth back place it just below the antique two-sided examples.

$600–$1,400 fair market

Large Plateau contour-beaded floral flat bag, orange lily and maple-leaf designnotable

A large single-face flat bag beaded edge-to-edge with a bold orange lily-and-leaf spray on a white ground, backed in blue corduroy with gold buckskin binding and ties.

The beaded face is worked in appliqué/contour stitch: the white background is laid in continuous horizontal rows while every motif is outlined and filled with beads following its own contour, giving the flowers and leaves a sculpted, flowing relief that is the signature of Columbia River Plateau floral beadwork. The central orange lily/maple-leaf form is shaded from deep orange through gold with translucent amber-lined beads, framed by six aubergine five-petal blossoms with gold centres and teal leaves on beaded brown vines. Beads are extremely uniform in size and colour and the background is bright opaque chalk white, which points to Czech/Bohemian seed beads of roughly c. 1940–1970 rather than the irregular Venetian beads of the antique period; the commercially dyed gold-yellow buckskin binding and ties, blue cotton corduroy back and printed floral cotton lining are all consistent with that mid-century date. Large, boldly designed Plateau flat bags in this condition remain the most commercially reliable form in Plateau beadwork, though a single-face bag brings less than a fully two-sided example.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, possibly Yakama, Umatilla or Warm Springs; unsigned, attribution based on technique and design vocabulary only medium confidence
Period: c. 1940-1970 (mid-20th century)
Materials: glass seed beads (opaque and translucent/amber-lined), cotton thread on a muslin or canvas foundation, commercially dyed buckskin binding and ties, blue cotton corduroy back, printed floral cotton lining
Dimensions: approx. 12 x 13 in. overall (beaded panel approx. 11 x 11.5 in.), plus hide ties

Condition

Very good. Beadwork appears complete with no visible bead loss, broken rows or thread failure in any of the views; background rows are tight and even. The corduroy back shows only fold creasing and light overall wear, and the printed lining is intact with one small loose thread visible at the mouth. The binding is sound with light scuffing at the lower corners. Odour, thread strength, hidden staining and any interior soiling cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

The bag carries no maker's mark, label or documentation. The Plateau attribution rests entirely on stitch technique and design style, and value depends on it. Under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 this must be offered as 'consistent with Columbia River Plateau work, attribution unverified' rather than asserted as the product of a named tribe; in-hand examination or provenance would be needed to confirm. No feather, ivory, marine-mammal or other restricted material is present.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Antique early-20th-century Plateau contour flat bags of similar or smaller size ask and realize $1,500-1,700 (Erickson, Cisco's, a Bonhams lot sold at $1,500) and a c. 1910-30s example carried a $750-950 auction estimate; this bag is comparable in size, design quality and condition but reads mid-century and is beaded on one face only, so it is placed a tier below the antique comparables.

$650–$1,300 fair market

Small beaded purse with contour-stitched rose and wildflower

Small fully-beaded hide purse, a red rose on one face and a yellow flower on the other, with striped borders and a beaded strap.

A compact beaded purse or coin bag, beaded on both faces. One face carries a full-blown red rose with green leaves and stem on a white ground; the other a yellow flower with green foliage on a soft grey-lavender ground, with a column of yellow and red diamonds beaded on the side gusset. The petals are worked in contour rows that follow the outline of each shape — the flowing, sculpted look that identifies Columbia Plateau floral beadwork — and the top and bottom edges are finished with a band of alternating red and navy beads. The strap is beaded over hide with dark brown stepped motifs. Small purses of this kind were made in quantity for personal use and for sale at fairs and rodeos through the mid-20th century, and they sit at the affordable end of the Plateau beadwork market.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau; unmarked, consistent with Yakama / Umatilla / Warm Springs work medium confidence
Period: mid-20th century
Materials: glass seed beads, commercially tanned hide, cotton thread
Dimensions: approx. 5 x 3.5 in.; beaded strap approx. 20–24 in.

Condition

Overall soiling and darkening of the white ground beads. Some bead rows along the top edge look slack and small areas of backing are exposed near the strap attachments; a corner of the top edge is distorted. The interior, thread condition, and any odour cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unsigned and without provenance. The tribal attribution is read from technique and style only; under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it must not be asserted as the work of a named tribe or artist without documentation.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Category estimate anchored on small Plateau belt pouches and purses, which dealers ask $500–$2,500 for when early or exceptional but which sell privately in the low hundreds for mid-century examples of this scale and condition.

$200–$450 fair market

Beaded Bags & Pouches

7 objects $2,835–$6,400

+1

Plateau fully-beaded two-sided purse with beaded gusset and beaded handlenotable

Antique Plateau handbag beaded over its entire surface — a geometric star on white one side, wild-rose florals on a gold ground the other, a figured blue gusset, beaded handle and brass zipper.

This is the strongest piece in the group and an unusually complete example: the beadwork wraps the whole object rather than a single panel. One face (photos 90, 91) carries a stepped geometric star in orange, rose, yellow, teal and black — the black triangles are faceted/metallic beads that flash in the light — on a white ground. The other face (photo 94) is a contour-stitched spray of two crimson and one orange wild rose with dark green leaves on a greasy-yellow ground, black-outlined and framed in white. The gusset that runs right around the bag (photos 91, 93, 96) is beaded on a medium-blue ground with small red figures and gold butterfly forms, the base band in gold, and the carrying handle is beaded on its outer face (photo 95) in gold with a black scroll, a red-and-white diamond and a green flower. Interior fittings are a brass zipper and a printed cotton lining (photo 96). The greasy yellow, white-heart reds, faceted beads, slightly irregular bead sizing, contour stitch and early metal zipper together point to roughly the 1910s-1940s, and directly parallel documented Plateau two-sided beaded purses with beaded handles and working zippers. The brass zipper is the tightest dating evidence on the piece: metal zippers only became common on small purses from the late 1920s-1930s, so an original zipper places the bag no earlier than about 1930.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau — Yakama, Umatilla, Nez Perce or Warm Springs; specific tribe not determinable medium confidence
Period: c. 1930-1955 (brass zipper; c. 1910 only if the zipper is a later replacement)
Materials: glass seed beads including greasy yellow, white-heart red and faceted metallic beads; commercial-tanned hide handle and body; printed cotton lining; brass zipper; cotton thread
Dimensions: approx. 7-8 in. wide x 5 in. high, gusset approx. 1 in., handle drop approx. 3 in.

Condition

Beadwork is largely intact and tight, with small localised bead loss and exposed backing along the lower gusset and at one lower corner (visible in photo 92) and a few gaps in the blue gusset ground. Colours are strong with no obvious fading. The hide handle is soiled, dry and abraded on its underside with small dark spots (photo 94). Zipper appears original and functional; lining is present but soiled. Thread condition, whether any repairs have been made, hide flexibility and odour cannot be judged from photographs and should be checked in hand.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unsigned and without provenance. The tribal attribution is read from technique and style only; under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it must not be asserted as the work of a named tribe or artist without documentation.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Dealer market for Plateau two-sided beaded bags runs roughly $500-1,200 for single-panel flat bags (1stDibs average about $1,200, low $700), and fully-beaded purses with a beaded gusset, beaded handle and working zipper — as documented by Arthur W. Erickson and The Sundance Gallery — carry a premium over flat bags because of the much larger beaded area; the range reflects the minor gusset bead loss and handle wear.

$800–$1,800 fair market

Pictorial beaded bag with two elk or deer before a forestnotable

Beaded flat bag picturing two spotted elk or deer in metallic bronze beads standing against a dark evergreen ground.

Two animals — a larger bull elk or buck above and a second, smaller animal below — are beaded in gold and bronze metallic-iris seed beads with white highlight rows, the beads laid in contour rows that follow the curve of each body, which is the characteristic Plateau contour/appliqué technique. They are set against a pale grey-white ground with a vertical panel of dark green and black beads reading as timber. The panel is bordered by a lime-green bead line, then blocked bands of red, orange and navy, then a white bead edge. The carrying strap is commercially tanned white hide with beaded segments in white, black and red. Pictorial Plateau bags depicting game animals are among the more sought-after forms in this category and consistently outperform plain geometric work of the same size and date.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, possibly Yakama, Umatilla or Nez Perce; unmarked, style-based attribution only medium confidence
Period: c. 1930s–1960s
Materials: glass seed beads including metallic/iris finishes, commercially tanned hide strap, cotton thread
Dimensions: approx. 6.5 x 8 in. (photograph is cropped at the top); hide strap approx. 22–26 in.

Condition

The photograph crops the top of the bag, so the upper border and closure are not documented. Beadwork visible is intact and the metallic beads are still bright; the hide strap is soiled and appears split or broken near one attachment point. Reverse, interior, lining, thread condition and odour are not shown and cannot be assessed from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

No mark or label; the pictorial-Plateau attribution that drives the value is inferred from technique and design only. It should not be advertised as the work of a specific tribe or maker without documentation (Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990). The animals are rendered in glass beads — no hide, hair, claw or feather from a protected species is present.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Plateau pictorial bags with game animals are asked at $2,000–$4,500 by specialist dealers (Cisco's Gallery: yellow elk on white 9x11 in. at $2,000; stag/bird panel at $2,500; Yakama eagle-and-stag bag at $4,500); a comparable pictorial Plateau bag realised $1,062.50 at Jeffrey S. Evans. Range set below dealer retail for a private sale and for the undocumented top edge.

$600–$1,400 fair market

Fully-beaded geometric flat purse with beaded carrying strapnotable

Fully-beaded rectangular hide purse with a bold four-point geometric medallion on a pearl-grey ground, fitted with a beaded shoulder strap.

The face is completely covered in small glass seed beads worked in flat overlay (appliqué/spot) stitch — background rows run straight across the panel and there is no ridged lane-stitch surface, so this is Plateau-style overlay work rather than Plains lazy stitch. The design is a large opposed-triangle/four-point star in golden yellow, red, navy and cornflower blue on a pearl-grey ground, framed by a single line of translucent gold beads, a white bead border, and vertical 'candy-stripe' bands of red, black and orange at each side. Bead sizing is uniform (roughly size 12–13) with iridescent navy and metallic finishes, which points to Czech seed beads of the second quarter of the 20th century rather than 19th-century Venetian stock. The strap is itself fully beaded over hide with small crosses and triangles and is backed in commercially tanned white hide; beaded strap detail is shown in the last photo, where a neighbouring bag's strap also appears.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, possibly Yakama, Umatilla or Nez Perce; unmarked, style-based attribution only medium confidence
Period: c. 1930s–1950s
Materials: glass seed beads (uniform Czech-type, incl. iridescent/metallic finishes), commercially tanned hide, cotton thread
Dimensions: beaded panel approx. 6.5 x 7 in.; beaded strap approx. 20–24 in.

Condition

Beadwork looks essentially complete with no obvious losses; the white ground beads are greyed with age and handling. The panel edges are slightly bowed and the hide strap shows wear, with a split or separation visible where it meets the bag at lower right. Thread integrity, interior lining, odour and any old repairs cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

The bag carries no maker's mark or label; the Columbia Plateau attribution is inferred from stitch technique and design vocabulary and materially affects value. Under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it must not be marketed as the product of a named tribe without documentation — in-hand examination is recommended before any attribution is asserted.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Benchmarked against a Plateau beaded flat bag of similar scale that realised $1,062.50 at Jeffrey S. Evans (est. $200–400) and against Plateau/Nez Perce dealer retail of $1,500–$2,500 for comparable mid-century bags, discounted for private-party sale and for this being a smaller purse form.

$600–$1,300 fair market

Small Plateau contour-beaded floral bag on bone hairpipe strap

A small square beaded bag with a three-flower spray on a white ground, bordered in maroon wool and hung from hide ties strung with bone hairpipe and glass beads.

The beaded panel is contour/appliqué stitched in the Plateau manner, with a horizontally rowed white ground and each element beaded along its own outline: an aubergine-brown blossom, an orange tiger lily, a yellow lily and a small orange bud on a beaded brown branch with translucent teal and green leaves. Nearly every motif is edged in metallic bronze and gold-finished cut beads, and the panel is framed by a beaded border of the same metallics over a maroon wool broadcloth surround. The slightly irregular chalk-white ground, oily translucent greens and the heavy use of metallic cut beads read earlier than the companion bag in this group, suggesting roughly c. 1920-1950. The hide ties are strung with uniform glossy sawn-bone hairpipe, black glass crow beads, clear and pink faceted beads and two small shell or bone teardrop drops; that strapping is machine-uniform commercial stock and may well be a later addition or replacement rather than original to the bag.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, possibly Yakama or Umatilla; unsigned, attribution based on contour-stitch technique and floral vocabulary only medium confidence
Period: c. 1920-1950, with a probably later bone-and-glass-bead strap
Materials: glass seed beads including metallic bronze and gold-finished cut beads and translucent greens, cotton thread on cloth foundation, maroon wool broadcloth, buckskin ties, sawn bone hairpipe, black glass crow beads, faceted glass beads, two small shell or bone drops
Dimensions: beaded panel approx. 6.5 in. square, approx. 8 in. square overall including the wool border; bone-and-bead strands approx. 14-16 in.

Condition

Good to very good. The beaded panel is essentially complete with no obvious bead loss; a short run of the metallic border beads along the lower edge looks slightly loose or lifted in the detail views, and the metallic finish on some cut beads shows the dulling and patchy wear typical of that bead type. The maroon wool is intact with no moth holes visible in these views, though moth damage in wool is easy to miss in photographs. The bone hairpipe shows minor yellowing on one element. Thread strength, odour, the unphotographed reverse face and interior condition cannot be assessed from these images.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unsigned and undocumented; the Plateau attribution is stylistic and cannot be asserted as fact under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. The strap components are commercial sawn bone hairpipe, glass beads and small shell or bone drops, all unrestricted materials; no ivory, marine-mammal, eagle or other migratory-bird feather, or big-cat or bear element is present, and nothing about the bag suggests a medicine bundle, pipe bag or funerary context. The strap's likely later date should be disclosed to a buyer.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Small Plateau contour-beaded bags of roughly this scale ask $1,500 at specialist dealers when antique and beaded on both faces (Cisco's, 8.75 x 10 in.); this example is smaller, single-faced, mounted on wool rather than hide, and carries a probably replaced strap, so it is placed well below that dealer level at private-sale and online-marketplace money.

$400–$850 fair market

Round beaded rosette purse on white hide with fringe and tie handles

Circular white-hide purse with a fully beaded eight-point star rosette face, cut-hide fringe, hide tie handles and a printed cotton lining.

The front disc is completely beaded in concentric rows radiating from a navy centre, forming an eight-point star in dark green with orange lozenges and four mauve dots on a white ground, finished with a cobalt bead edge line. The back (photo 88) is plain white hide with a whip-stitched seam, the left side carries a thick cluster of cut-hide fringe, and the interior (photo 89) is lined with a light printed cotton. The very uniform modern beads, bright commercial-tanned white hide, machine-cut fringe and cloth lining all indicate a recent piece — powwow-style dance or dress accessory rather than an antique. It is competent, attractive work of a kind widely made and sold at powwows and by trading posts.

Attribution: Plateau / Plains powwow-style; maker and tribe unidentified low confidence
Period: late 20th century to contemporary
Materials: glass seed beads, commercial-tanned white deer or elk hide, cut-hide fringe and ties, printed cotton lining, cotton or nylon thread
Dimensions: beaded disc approx. 8 in. diameter; overall approx. 9 x 12 in. including fringe

Condition

Excellent — no visible bead loss, breaks or thread failure; hide is clean and supple-looking with only light handling marks; lining intact. Photos 86 and 87 show a couple of small skin creases at the bound edge, which is normal. Hide flexibility, interior soiling and odour cannot be assessed from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Recent, unsigned and undocumented. It should be offered as "Native American style, maker unknown" unless the maker can be identified, since the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 makes it unlawful to market goods as Indian-produced when that is not established.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Contemporary Native-made hand-beaded buckskin purses of this size and bead coverage retail roughly $180-450 through trading posts, powwow vendors and online marketplaces; a category estimate anchored on those asking prices rather than on auction results.

$175–$400 fair market

Small zippered beaded purse with star and heart motifs

Small white-ground beaded purse with an eight-point star and red hearts on both faces, a metal zipper closure and a beaded strap.

Both faces are beaded on a white ground with a multicoloured eight-point star flanked by small red hearts and blue and yellow chevrons, framed top and bottom by banded stripes of red, black and orange. The top is closed with a metal zipper set into hide tape, and small hide tabs at each end anchor the beaded shoulder strap. The zipper and the uniform, bright, modern-palette beads place this firmly in the mid-20th century — zippers do not appear on Plateau bags before the 1930s. Purses like this were everyday and powwow-era items, well made but produced in numbers, and they are valued accordingly.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau or Northern Plains; unmarked, attribution requires in-hand examination low confidence
Period: mid-20th century, c. 1940s–1960s
Materials: glass seed beads, commercially tanned hide, metal zipper, cotton thread
Dimensions: approx. 5.5 x 3 in.; beaded strap approx. 20–24 in.

Condition

Zipper is present with its metal pull and appears complete. Scattered soiling and greying of the white beads, minor bead loss along the folded top edges, and darkened, worn hide tabs. Whether the zipper runs freely, and the state of the lining and threads, cannot be determined from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unsigned and without provenance. The tribal attribution is read from technique and style only; under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it must not be asserted as the work of a named tribe or artist without documentation.

Valuation basis

Category estimate for a small mid-century zippered beaded purse of common form and good but not exceptional condition; no directly comparable sold record was located, so this is placed below the $500+ level dealers ask for early hand-sewn Plateau pouches.

$150–$375 fair market

Contour-beaded floral zippered coin purse with buckskin tassel

Small oval two-sided beaded coin purse with rose and lily florals on a pale blue ground, metal zipper and a cut-hide tassel pull.

Both faces are fully covered in glass seed beads worked in contour / appliqué stitch, the bead rows following the outline of each petal and leaf and then filling the pale-blue background in concentric echoing rows — the sculpted look characteristic of Columbia Plateau floral beadwork. One face carries a red multi-petal rose beside a white lily with black outlining; the reverse carries three red blossoms with a white centre flower. The beads are very uniform in size and colour and the piece is built over a commercial zipper with a cut-buckskin tassel pull, which points to a mid-20th-century rather than an antique date. Small beaded purses like this are the entry point of the Plateau beadwork market and sell steadily to collectors and to wearers.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau style, possibly Yakama or Umatilla; maker unmarked medium confidence
Period: mid-20th century, c. 1940-1970
Materials: glass seed beads, commercial tanned hide, metal zipper, cotton or nylon thread (not determinable from photo)
Dimensions: approx. 4.5 x 3 in.

Condition

Beadwork appears complete and tight on both faces with no obvious bead loss or broken rows; edge beading intact; zipper present and appears functional; tassel intact though the hide is dry-looking. Thread strength, interior lining, staining inside and odour cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

No maker mark, label or documentation. The technique reads as Plateau contour beadwork, but this cannot be confirmed from photographs and the piece must not be advertised as the work of a specific tribe or enrolled artist — the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 prohibits marketing goods as Indian-produced without that being established.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Small two-sided Native beaded coin purses of this type list and sell in the low hundreds on eBay and Etsy; the double-sided contour floral work and clean condition put it at the upper end of that band rather than in the $30-40 imported-craft range.

$110–$275 fair market

Beadwork — Geometric

3 objects $1,200–$2,850

+2

Fully beaded Plateau belt / beaded strip with rosettes and hourglass motifsnotable

Long narrow strip beaded solid over its whole face in pale 'greasy' blue with pink, white and green four-part rosettes, red-and-white hourglass crosses, and hide-whipstitched edges.

The strip is beaded in overlay (appliqué) stitch on a heavy cream cotton canvas/twill foundation, the background rows running across the width in a translucent-looking pale blue, with the motifs worked in concentric circular rows — three quartered rosettes in rose-pink and green and one in white and green, alternating with red-and-white stepped hourglass/cross figures outlined in navy, and paired green-and-white triangles at each end. Both long edges are bound with a tan hide or buckskin whipstitch. The two ends are unfinished, frayed canvas with no buckle, tab or tie surviving, so the piece may be a men's beaded belt that has lost its hardware, or a beaded strip cut or salvaged from a larger article. The canvas ground, hide-bound edges, quartered rosettes and hourglass figures are all consistent with Columbia Plateau geometric beadwork of the late 19th to early 20th century, and the density and evenness of the work are good.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, possibly Yakama, Umatilla or Nez Perce; unmarked, attribution requires in-hand examination medium confidence
Period: c. 1890-1930
Materials: glass seed beads (pale blue, rose pink, green, white, red, navy), cotton canvas/twill foundation, hide or buckskin edge binding, cotton thread
Dimensions: approx. 2 to 2.25 in wide x approx. 28-32 in long

Condition

Beadwork is unusually complete for its age — the field and all motifs are intact with only isolated missing beads and a small disturbed area at one rosette. Some slack rows and exposed thread are visible where the strip has flexed. The edge binding is worn and thin in places and the canvas is frayed and ragged at both ends with loose threads; the reverse is soiled, stained and softly worn overall, with a faint darker ghosting that may be an old inscription or transfer. No buckle or fastening is present. Thread integrity, whether either end was cut, and any odour or insect damage cannot be assessed from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Edge binding appears to be ordinary deer or elk hide, which is unrestricted; no feather, ivory, marine-mammal, bear-claw or big-cat material is visible and there is no indication of a sacred, ceremonial or funerary object. Value here depends materially on the Plateau attribution and the pre-1930 dating, neither of which is documented — under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 the piece must be offered as an unattributed antique beaded belt/strip 'consistent with' Plateau work, not as certified tribal-made.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Benchmarked to a fine early Plateau beaded belt of 2 1/8 in x 35-38 in with minor bead loss listed at $1,500 and sold at $1,200 by a specialist dealer, against a broader dealer range of roughly $500-$5,300 for antique Native beaded belts and strips, discounted for the missing buckle and frayed ends but supported by the near-complete beadwork.

$700–$1,600 fair market

Matched pair of fully-beaded hide cuffs, cobalt field with crossed-arrow medallions

A matched pair of large, fully-beaded buckskin wrist/forearm cuffs worked in dense rows of cobalt-blue seed beads with orange, red, white and black geometric medallions.

Each cuff is a shaped rectangular panel of pale golden commercial-tanned buckskin, beaded across its entire outer face in tightly packed parallel rows of transparent cobalt-blue seed beads. Centred on each panel is a concentric orange, white and dark-blue lozenge flanked by four white, black-outlined crossed-arrow or feather forms, with a bold stepped-key border in rose-red, orange and metallic bronze beads running across the upper edge and a narrow orange edge-band with white and blue cross accents along the lower edge. The beadwork reads as row-worked lane/appliqué stitch rather than loom-woven panels, though the very regular bead grid means loom-applied strips cannot be excluded from photographs alone; the hide is bound at the ends and carries flat cut thongs for lacing and short pendant thongs along the bottom. The blocky colour masses ringed in white and the arrow-and-lozenge vocabulary are shared across mid-20th-century Plateau and Northern Plains dance beadwork, and matched, undamaged pairs of this scale sell better than single cuffs.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau or Northern Plains, intertribal dance-regalia beadwork; specific tribe not determinable from photographs low confidence
Period: mid-20th century, c. 1940-1970
Materials: glass seed beads (cobalt blue, orange, rose red, opaque white, black, metallic bronze), commercial-tanned deer or elk buckskin, cut hide thong ties; thread type not visible
Dimensions: each panel approx. 10-12 in wide x 6-7 in tall (ties additional)

Condition

Very good overall in these images: the bead field appears complete with no visible loss, broken rows or gaping, colours are unfaded, and the hide is supple, clean and free of obvious dry-rot. One loose thong lies across the right-hand cuff in two frames and may be detached at one end, and there are a few dark specks on the blue field. The interiors, linings, backing, thread condition (sinew vs cotton vs nylon), stiffness, staining and any odour cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

No feathers, ivory, claw or marine-mammal material is present — the arrow-and-feather forms are rendered in glass beads, and the hide reads as commercial deer or elk. Nothing suggests a sacred, funerary or NAGPRA-regulated object. However, the value range depends on an unverified Plateau/Plains attribution: the piece is unmarked, and imported 'Native American design' beaded cuffs of similar format are sold commercially, so under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 these must not be advertised as Indian-produced without in-hand examination or documented provenance.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Bracketed by a $990 asking price for a comparable pair of fully-beaded 6x8 in Plateau/Nez Perce-attributed gauntlet panels and a $275 asking price for vintage handmade beaded cuffs, against Skinner's $200-300 estimate for a smaller 19th-century Sioux gauntlet-cuff pair; the larger fully-beaded panels and matched, sound condition here support the upper half of that band, while the uniform modern beads and commercial hide keep it below antique levels.

$350–$900 fair market

Matched pair of beaded rosette-and-tab hair drops (oversized earrings)notable

A matched pair of long beaded ornaments, each a round star rosette above a flaring geometric panel finished with twisted bead fringe.

Each piece begins with a round rosette roughly 2 inches across, worked in concentric appliqué (spot-stitch) rows: an eight-point star/petal figure in transparent garnet-red and opaque turquoise on a white ground, edged in metallic bronze-gunmetal cut beads. Below hangs a flaring trapezoidal panel beaded in very even horizontal rows carrying a stepped-diamond and bar motif in turquoise, transparent garnet and dark navy on white; whether the panel is loom-woven or closely-set appliqué on hide cannot be settled from photographs. The lower edge carries roughly fourteen twisted fringe strands tipped with red white-heart beads, gunmetal and silver-finish faceted beads. One rosette retains a buckskin thong, suggesting the pair tied into braids as hair drops rather than hanging from wires as earrings.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau or Northern Plains; specific tribal attribution not determinable from photographs medium confidence
Period: c. 1930-1960, second quarter 20th century
Materials: glass seed beads (opaque white, opaque turquoise, transparent garnet, navy), red white-heart beads, metallic-finish and faceted cut beads, buckskin thong, hide or felt backing not visible
Dimensions: each approx. 8 in. long overall; rosette approx. 2 in. dia.; panel approx. 2.75 in. wide at base

Condition

Generally sound and unusually complete for the form. Photographs show light soiling and greying of the white ground, minor bead loss along the panel edges, and several fringe strands that appear shortened, loose or with visibly frayed thread. Backing material, thread type (cotton vs. sinew vs. nylon), stiffness and odour cannot be judged from photographs and should be examined in hand.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unmarked and undocumented. The regional read is based on visible technique only; under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 no tribal attribution should be asserted as fact without documentation.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Category estimate for a matched vintage pair of large, well-executed geometric beaded drops; anchored above the general run of vintage beaded medallion jewellery (auction estimates around $50-150 for single beaded medallion necklaces) and well above ready-made imported rosettes at $3.50-$23.50 retail.

$150–$350 fair market

Cornhusk & Twined Bags

6 objects $1,925–$4,525

Plateau cornhusk flat bag — checkerboard diamonds one face, banded panels the othernotable

Twined cornhusk flat bag with a completely different design on each face: nine checkerboard-filled diamonds on one side, six banded rectangular panels on the other.

A classic Plateau flat bag, flat-twined over a hemp or Indian-hemp warp with cornhusk weft and the coloured designs worked as false embroidery in dyed wool yarn, so the pattern sits only on the outer surface. One face (photos 98) carries nine diamonds outlined in navy, red and maroon and filled with gold, maroon, blue, green and red checkerboards; the other face (photo 97) carries six larger rectangular panels of vertical gold, blue and red bars with black outlines and dotted centre columns. Having an entirely different design programme on each face is the diagnostic Nez Perce / Plateau convention and is what collectors look for. A plain twined band forms the base and the top edge is finished with a string reinforcement. The dyes are a mix of soft and brighter tones and the yarn is Germantown-type wool, consistent with roughly 1900-1930.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, Nez Perce or a neighbouring Plateau group (Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs); attribution rests on form and technique rather than documentation medium confidence
Period: c. 1900-1930
Materials: twined Indian hemp warp, cornhusk weft, dyed wool yarn false embroidery, cotton string top reinforcement
Dimensions: approx. 11-13 in. wide x 14-17 in. tall (no scale reference in the photographs)

Condition

Structurally sound overall with bright, well-preserved colours and no holes in the design field. The upper band is worn: photo 99 shows abrasion, thinning and yarn loss along the top edge with exposed warp and frayed fibres, plus a small area of colour bleed or staining. Loose white threads hang from the top-left corner. Light overall soiling and slight tonal darkening at the base band. Interior, mustiness, mildew or insect activity cannot be assessed from photographs; a cornhusk bag should always be checked in hand for brittleness and odour.

Unconfirmed attribution

The cornhusk flat bag form and false-embroidery technique are unmistakably Columbia Plateau, but the specific tribal attribution (Nez Perce in particular, which carries a price premium) cannot be confirmed from photographs and should be stated as "Plateau, probably Nez Perce" rather than asserted as fact.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Nez Perce / Plateau cornhusk flat bags with different designs on each face bring roughly $500-1,500 at auction and $495-2,650 from dealers depending on size and condition — a small 8 in. example is $495 at Marcy Burns and a 19th-century two-sided bag reached $1,200 at auction; this bag's good size and strong colour support the middle-upper part of that band, discounted for the worn top edge.

$600–$1,400 fair market

Plateau cornhusk flat bag — triangle rows one face, checkerboard the other

Twined cornhusk flat bag with hide tie loops, showing rows of gold and teal triangles divided by dashed lines on one face and an all-over gold, navy and tan checkerboard on the other.

The second cornhusk bag in this group, again flat-twined with cornhusk weft and wool-yarn false embroidery, and again carrying a completely different design on each face. One side (photo 100) is laid out as rows of gold, teal and slate-blue right triangles separated by four horizontal dashed lines in black and gold; the reverse (photo 101) is an all-over staggered checkerboard in gold, navy and natural tan. Cut-hide thong loops survive along the top edge for a drawstring or carrying tie, and a plain twined band forms the base. The palette is softer and more faded than the companion bag, and the interior view (photo 102) shows the natural cornhusk face and the working of the twining clearly. Consistent with roughly 1900-1930 Plateau work.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, Nez Perce or a neighbouring Plateau group; attribution rests on form and technique medium confidence
Period: c. 1900-1930
Materials: twined Indian hemp warp, cornhusk weft, dyed wool yarn false embroidery, cut-hide thong ties
Dimensions: approx. 11-13 in. wide x 13-16 in. tall (no scale reference in the photographs)

Condition

Fair to good, noticeably rougher than the companion bag. Photo 102 shows the interior heavily soiled and stained brown, with loose and broken fibres, and scattered dark and amber specks together with small pale casings that are consistent with old insect frass or insect casings — this needs inspection in hand and, if confirmed, freezing or conservation treatment before storage with other textiles. The top edge is frayed with fibre loss and thinning; overall surface soiling and some fading of the gold and teal yarns; edges slightly distorted. No large holes are visible in the design field. Live infestation, mustiness, mildew and fibre brittleness cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Plateau cornhusk twining is diagnostic of the region, but the specific tribe cannot be confirmed from photographs; it should be offered as "Plateau, probably Nez Perce" rather than asserted, in line with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Same comparable set as the companion bag ($495-2,650 dealer, roughly $500-1,500 at auction for two-sided examples), discounted for the heavy interior staining, top-edge fibre loss, fading and possible past insect activity.

$400–$900 fair market

Plateau full-turn twined bucket bag ("sally bag" form) in dyed yarnnotable

Soft-twined, flat-bottomed bucket-form bag boldly banded in red, green and yellow, with a hide-bound rim, buckskin lacing and a braided cord carrying strap.

A cylindrical, slightly flaring bag built by full-turn twining over closely set warps - the technique that defines Columbia River sally bags (wa'paas / aqw'alkt) and Plateau root and berry bags. The base, visible in one photograph, begins in a tight radiating spiral and the interior view shows the same banded design carrying through to the inner face, confirming full-turn twining rather than surface-applied false embroidery. The wefts are soft, evenly spun commercial yarn dyed a saturated crimson, aqua-green and chrome yellow; the rim is bound with soft tanned hide sewn on with buckskin thongs, and a braided, plied cord strap with buckskin tie tabs is fastened through the rim. Historic sally bags were twined of Indian hemp/dogbane and cornhusk, and manufactured cotton, jute and yarn twines came into use through the 19th and 20th centuries, so the yarn wefts and aniline colours point to a mid-20th-century date rather than an early one. The design is a simple horizontal banding rather than the stylized human, sturgeon or condor figures that carry the top of this market.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau; consistent with Wasco/Wishram-Warm Springs or Yakama full-turn twined work. Attribution is by technique and form only and requires in-hand examination to confirm. medium confidence
Period: mid-20th century, c. 1940-1970 (based on commercial yarn wefts and aniline dyes)
Materials: commercial dyed wool or cotton yarn weft, cord warp, soft tanned hide rim binding, buckskin thongs, plied/braided cord strap
Dimensions: approx. 7-8 in. high x 6.5-7.5 in. diameter at the rim

Condition

Structurally sound and intact with no visible holes, weft breaks or rim loss; the twining is tight and even throughout. The hide rim binding and the strap are soiled and grey with handling, some buckskin tabs are stretched, and there is light overall dust and a faint darkened area on the lower yellow band. Dye fastness, insect damage in the wool, odour, and any interior residue cannot be assessed from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Materials are yarn, cord and common tanned deer/elk hide - nothing restricted, no feather, ivory, or marine-mammal content, and no indication of funerary or ceremonial context (this is a utilitarian food-gathering form). Value depends materially on the Plateau attribution, which rests on technique and form rather than documentation, so it must be offered as "consistent with" Plateau work and not asserted as the product of a named tribe under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Antique cornhusk-and-hemp sally bags with leather rims retail $950-$3,000 (Quintana Galleries c.1920 example at $950; a figured 1920s yarn example offered at $1,500); a mid-century commercial-yarn example with a plain banded design and no figural imagery sits well below that, hence the $250-$650 range.

$250–$650 fair market

Plateau twined wool-yarn flat bag, banded design, hide-bound top

Flat twined Plateau-form bag with its full face worked in wool yarn in broad horizontal bands of maroon, orange and gold separated by turquoise dash rows.

Twined over a fine cotton-twine warp, with the entire outer surface covered in false-embroidered commercial wool yarn — the later Plateau practice after cornhusk gave way to trade yarn. Both faces carry the same banded scheme rather than the two contrasting designs found on classic Nez Perce cornhusk bags, and the pattern is simple stripes rather than the diamond/triangle vocabulary of the best older bags. The mouth is bound in soft tan brain-tanned hide, hand-stitched through the weave, with hide thong ties; the interior photo shows the same banded yarn face continuing inside and no fabric liner. Strong even aniline reds and oranges plus uniform machine-spun yarn read mid-20th century.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, possibly Yakama, Umatilla or Nez Perce; specific tribe not confirmed medium confidence
Period: mid-20th century, c. 1940-1970
Materials: commercial wool yarn, cotton twine warp, brain-tanned hide binding and ties
Dimensions: approx. 10 x 9 in (25 x 23 cm), excluding hide ties

Condition

Weave is complete and tight, edges square, no obvious holes or unravelling; the hide binding is supple and the ties are intact though stretched and creased. Slight darkening/soiling on one gold band and general light surface fuzzing of the yarn. Moth activity, insect eggs, odour and any interior staining cannot be assessed from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unmarked. The flat-bag form and full-turn twining are specific to the Columbia Plateau, but the maker and tribe cannot be verified from photographs and must not be asserted as fact (Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990). No feathers, restricted animal material or sensitive/funerary associations are present.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

A comparable c. 1940 Plateau cornhusk-and-wool-yarn flat bag of 11 x 9 in with moth grazing is offered at $765 by a specialist dealer; this bag is similar in size but simpler (repeating stripes, same design both faces, all-yarn rather than cornhusk face), so it sits below that figure.

$250–$600 fair market

Plateau twined yarn round bag ("sally bag" form) with buckskin rim

Small soft-twined cylindrical bag worked entirely in wool yarn over a cotton-twine warp, with a buckskin-wrapped rim and crocheted yarn drawstrings.

The bag is built by full-turn twining, with a cream ground and blocky stepped geometric figures in hot pink/coral and turquoise, the colored yarn carried on the outer surface in the false-embroidery manner typical of Columbia River twined work. The rim is bound with a folded strip of soft tan brain-tanned hide, hand-stitched down, and several crocheted wool cords in purple, pink, olive, navy and dark green serve as drawstrings/carrying ties (shown loose in the fourth photo, still attached at the rim). The very saturated aniline pink and turquoise, together with even machine-spun commercial yarn and crocheted cords, point to a mid-20th-century or later working of a much older Plateau form rather than an antique piece; genuine pre-1920 examples use cornhusk and softer vegetal/early aniline tones. Small twined yarn bags of this type are steady sellers because the form is instantly recognizable and displays well.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, most likely Yakama or Warm Springs/Wasco; specific tribe not confirmed medium confidence
Period: mid-20th century, c. 1950-1980
Materials: commercial wool yarn, cotton twine warp, cornhusk or cotton ground element, brain-tanned hide rim binding, crocheted wool cords
Dimensions: approx. 6 in tall x 5 in diameter (15 x 13 cm)

Condition

Structurally sound with no visible holes, broken warps or slumping; weave is tight and the hide rim binding is intact with only light soiling. Colors remain bright, which suggests little light exposure. The drawstring cords are detached/loose in one photo and show wear at the ends. Odour, moth eggs, hidden repairs, interior soiling and dye stability cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unmarked and unsigned. The twining technique and form are diagnostically Columbia Plateau, but no specific tribal attribution can be verified from photographs, and under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 a tribal attribution must not be asserted as fact without documentation. No feathers, restricted animal material or sensitive/funerary associations are present.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Cisco's Gallery asks $300 (reduced from $450) for a smaller 5 x 3.5 in mid-20th-century Plateau yarn sally bag with brain-tanned rim; this example is noticeably larger and more fully patterned, so a modest premium applies.

$250–$550 fair market

Plateau-style twined wool "sally bag" with hide-bound rimnotable

Soft cylindrical twined root bag worked in multicolored wool yarn over cordage warp, with a buckskin-bound rim and drawstring tie.

A flexible, self-supporting cylindrical bag twined in the full-turn technique characteristic of Columbia Plateau basketry, the form usually called a "sally bag" or root bag. The body weft is commercial multicolored (variegated) wool yarn worked over a fine cordage or cotton-seine warp, producing the dense speckled turquoise/red/yellow/violet surface; the lower quarter and rounded base are twined in undyed cream cordage, and the mouth is bound with a folded band of pale commercially-tanned buckskin, whip-stitched through the top rows and fitted with a buckskin drawstring. The complete reliance on commercial wool yarn and chrome-tanned hide (rather than dogbane, cornhusk, and brain-tanned hide) points to a mid-to-late 20th-century or later working of a traditional form rather than an early collected piece. Contemporary Plateau weavers, and also non-Native basketry guilds in the Columbia Basin, both produce yarn sally bags in this manner, so an unmarked example cannot be attributed with certainty from photographs.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau form (Wasco/Wishram–Yakama tradition); maker unmarked and unverified medium confidence
Period: mid-to-late 20th century
Materials: commercial wool yarn weft, cotton/hemp cordage warp, undyed cordage base, commercially tanned buckskin rim binding and drawstring
Dimensions: approx. 7-8 in wide x 6-7 in tall

Condition

Very good overall in the photographs: twining rows tight and even with no visible breaks, base intact, rim binding sound with lacing complete, colors bright and unfaded. One or two short loose yarn ends visible on the body (see the standing view). Wool is vulnerable to moth and to insect eggs that a photograph cannot reveal; interior soiling, odour, and any old repair to the hide rim cannot be judged without handling.

Unconfirmed attribution

Value depends on the piece being Plateau-made, which the photographs cannot confirm — the bag carries no maker mark or label, and identical yarn sally bags are also woven by non-Native basketry students in the Columbia Basin. Under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it must not be advertised as Indian-produced without documentation. The only animal material is commercially tanned deer or elk buckskin, which is unrestricted.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Contemporary small (4 in) wool-yarn sally bags retail around $99 from working weavers; this example is roughly twice that size with a finished hide rim and drawstring, while antique dogbane/cornhusk Wasco sally bags run well into four figures, so the range sits above craft-market and well below antique comparables.

$175–$425 fair market

Klickitat & Imbricated Basketry

5 objects $2,400–$5,450

Fully imbricated polychrome Klickitat-type huckleberry basket with cloth-bound rim and cotton tumplinenotable

Tapering coiled cedar-root berry basket with full polychrome imbrication in black, red-brown, orange and blue-grey, a cloth-bound looped rim and braided cotton carrying cord.

The best piece in this group: a hard-sided, upward-flaring coiled basket with dense, fine stitching and 100 percent imbricated coverage of the exterior in bold stepped-triangle and zigzag bands. The imbrication combines natural bear grass with dark cherry-bark or dyed grass and dyed red-brown, orange and slate-blue elements, and the design runs uninterrupted from base band to rim. The looped rim is bound with a folded cotton cloth strip and rigged with braided cotton cordage - the classic tumpline arrangement for carrying a filled huckleberry basket on the back. Cotton cordage and aniline-dyed grass point to a twentieth-century working basket rather than a nineteenth-century piece; a directly comparable 8.75 in fully imbricated Klickitat huckleberry basket with cotton tumpline has been dated by a specialist dealer to c. 1940. Fully imbricated polychrome examples in usable condition are the most sought-after part of the Plateau basketry market after early figural burden baskets.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, Klickitat type; possibly Yakama or Cowlitz weaver medium confidence
Period: c. 1920-1950
Materials: split cedar-root coils, bear grass and cherry-bark/dyed-grass imbrication, cotton cloth rim binding, braided cotton cordage tumpline
Dimensions: approx. 8-9 in high x 7-8 in diameter at the rim

Condition

Strong overall with the design fully legible and no visible structural collapse. Some imbrication loss and darkened, crushed stitches in the upper third; the interior shows heavy use-staining; the cloth rim binding is soiled, frayed and appears to be a working repair or reinforcement rather than original finish; the cotton cordage is grimy with loose ends. Fading of the dyes relative to their original intensity, rim-coil breaks under the cloth wrap, brittleness and odour cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unsigned and without provenance. The tribal attribution is read from technique and style only; under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it must not be asserted as the work of a named tribe or artist without documentation.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Closest match is a specialist dealer's 8.75 in c. 1940 fully imbricated Klickitat huckleberry basket with cotton tumpline (sold); supported by a 7.25 in c. 1920 example at $1,200 retail and a 7.5 in c. 1910 polychrome Klickitat asking $2,500, with a discount here for imbrication loss, use-staining and the added cloth rim wrap.

$850–$1,900 fair market

Fully imbricated coiled cedar-root berry basket with hide rim loopsnotable

A hard-sided coiled cedar-root berry/gathering basket covered edge to edge in polychrome imbrication, with buckskin carrying loops sewn to the rim.

Bundle-coiled cedar root, sewn tightly and then decorated with full-coverage imbrication: flat strips of bear grass and dyed bark folded down under each stitch so the pattern stands proud of the surface. The design runs in stacked checkerboard and zigzag bands — cream bear grass against dark brown/black bark, a broad rust-orange field toward the base, and a single top register of bright blue, purple, red, yellow and green accents. Four soft buckskin loops are sewn through the rim coils for a carrying thong or tie-down, a construction detail characteristic of Klickitat-type berry and gathering baskets of the lower Columbia and Plateau. Imbrication itself is a narrow regional technique (Klickitat, Cowlitz, Yakama, and interior Salish weavers), and fully imbricated examples in sound condition are the most sought-after part of that market; the aniline blues, purples and greens in the rim band argue for a 20th-century rather than a 19th-century date.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau / lower Columbia imbrication tradition — Klickitat type, possibly Yakama, Cowlitz or interior Salish weaver medium confidence
Period: c. 1920-1960 (aniline-dyed accents; earlier date not supported)
Materials: coiled cedar root foundation, bear grass and cherry/cedar bark imbrication with aniline dyes, brain-tanned buckskin rim loops
Dimensions: approx. 7 in. high x 6-7 in. rim diameter, tapering to a small round base

Condition

Very good for the form: imbrication appears complete with no obvious blocks of loss, rim coils intact with no breaks or unravelling visible, and all four hide loops present and supple. Scattered dark spots and light overall soiling consistent with use. Base and interior are only partly visible; stitch tightness, any hidden coil breaks, brittleness of the root, odour, and old repairs cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Imbrication over coiled cedar root is a reliable regional diagnostic, but no maker mark, label or provenance is present, so a specific tribal attribution cannot be confirmed from photographs. Under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it should be offered as 'Klickitat-type Plateau imbricated basket, attribution unverified' rather than as the work of a named tribe. The rim loops read as deer or elk buckskin (unrestricted); no feather, ivory, marine-mammal or other regulated material is present, and nothing about the piece suggests a ceremonial or funerary context.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Benchmarked against a late-19th/early-20th fully imbricated Klickitat basket of nearly identical size (6.75 in.) offered at $185 with rim loss, a $300 auction result for a Klickitat imbricated polychrome basket lot, and a $1,000-$2,000 auction estimate for a pair of larger imbricated burden baskets; this example is smaller and 20th-century but complete, fully imbricated and with intact hide loops.

$500–$1,100 fair market

Imbricated coiled cedar-root berry basket with looped rim and buckskin ties

Hard-sided coiled cedar-root berry basket with near-full bear-grass imbrication in a stepped zigzag pattern, looped rim and hide tie loops.

Coiled over a cedar-root foundation with tight, even stitching (roughly 12-14 stitches per inch by eye) and decorated by imbrication - flattened bear grass folded over each coil so the pattern stands proud of the surface - in a stepped diagonal/zigzag layout covering most of the body. The rim is finished with the looped or 'scalloped' braid characteristic of Klickitat-type work, and two soft buckskin strips are tied through the rim loops as carrying/closure ties. The bear grass has mellowed to an even gold; a strip of masking tape at the upper body carries a partly legible handwritten name in ink, suggesting an older private-collection or estate inventory number. Small, well-made imbricated berry baskets of this type are the bread-and-butter of the Plateau basket market and sell steadily.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau / lower Columbia, Klickitat type (Klickitat, Cowlitz, Yakama and Upper Chehalis weavers all produced closely related imbricated coiled work) medium confidence
Period: c. 1900-1940
Materials: split cedar root coils, bear grass imbrication, buckskin ties; masking-tape collection label with ink inscription
Dimensions: approx. 5.5-6 in high x 5 in diameter

Condition

Generally sound and retaining its shape. Visible wear: scattered loss and abrasion of imbricated bear grass, a few crushed/darkened stitches at the upper body, dryness and fraying of the buckskin ties, and light soiling consistent with use. The applied masking-tape label is itself a condition issue - adhesive tape on basketry can lift fibre when removed and should be dealt with by a conservator. Interior soiling, odour, brittleness of the root, and any old repairs cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unsigned and without provenance. The tribal attribution is read from technique and style only; under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it must not be asserted as the work of a named tribe or artist without documentation.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Benchmarked against a 7.25 in c. 1920 Klickitat cedar-root/bear-grass berry basket that sold at $1,200 retail and gallery/auction results for imbricated Plateau berry baskets, discounted for smaller size, single-colour design and imbrication loss.

$350–$850 fair market

Small fully-imbricated coiled cedar-root berry basket, Klickitat typenotable

Small hard-sided coiled cedar-root berry basket, fully imbricated in polychrome geometric bands, with a hide-wrapped looped rim and plant-fibre carrying cord.

A bundle-coiled split cedar-root basket whose entire exterior is covered in imbrication — bear grass and cherry/cedar bark folded flat over each coil so the pattern stands proud of the surface — worked in stacked diamond, zigzag and stepped "mountain" figures with a solid ochre band below the rim. The rim is the looped/braided finish characteristic of Klickitat work, reinforced with a wrapped hide strip and pierced hide tabs; a twisted plant-fibre cord is still tied inside. The base is coiled in a tight spiral at roughly 8-9 coils per inch. Colours run to ochre-orange, purple-magenta, blue and maroon — commercial/aniline dyes rather than a purely natural palette — which together with the uniform hide strip reads early-to-mid 20th century rather than 19th. Fully-imbricated Plateau berry baskets are the most collectible coiled form from this region, and condition plus dye palette drive the range more than size does.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau / southwest Washington, Klickitat type — possibly Yakama or Cowlitz; not confirmed medium confidence
Period: c. 1910-1940
Materials: split cedar-root coils and sewing strands, dyed bear grass and cherry/cedar bark imbrication, hide rim strip and tabs, twisted plant-fibre cord
Dimensions: approx 5 in high x 4.5 in diameter at the rim

Condition

Imbrication largely intact with scattered losses along the lower body; colours softened and faded; surface soiling and a darkened, use-stained interior. The hide rim strip is dry and cracking, and a small blue-pigmented hide fragment is loose inside. No rim breaks visible. Brittleness, odour, insect activity and any earlier restoration cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Value rests on a Klickitat/Plateau attribution inferred from technique (full imbrication, looped rim) rather than any mark, label or provenance. Under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 this must be offered as 'Klickitat type / consistent with Columbia River Plateau work', not asserted as a documented tribal attribution, unless confirmed by in-hand examination. Hide elements appear to be deer or elk, which is unrestricted.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Two dealer comparables for small c.1900-1920 fully-imbricated coiled berry baskets ($1,200 sold and $1,300 asking) plus an active eBay small Klickitat berry basket at $895, discounted for the aniline palette, probable later date and use wear on a private-party sale.

$350–$800 fair market

Polychrome imbricated coiled berry basket with pale buckskin rim binding

Small coiled cedar-root berry basket fully imbricated in bright polychrome geometrics, its looped rim bound with pale buckskin.

The same construction family as the preceding basket — coiled split cedar root with full-surface imbrication in stacked diamond, zigzag and stepped figures — but the palette is markedly brighter, running to hot pink-magenta, teal green, orange, blue-violet and aubergine, and the weave is very even at roughly 8 coils per inch. The pale, supple, unstained buckskin binding wrapped over the looped rim and through the side loops looks comparatively fresh against the aged interior. That combination points either to mid-20th-century manufacture or to an older basket that has had its rim wrap replaced; the two cannot be separated from photographs. Brightly dyed mid-century Plateau berry baskets remain sought after as decorative pieces but sit below turn-of-the-century examples in the market.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, Klickitat type — possibly Yakama; not confirmed medium confidence
Period: probably mid-20th century, c. 1940-1970; an earlier basket with a later rim repair cannot be ruled out
Materials: split cedar-root coils, dyed bear grass and bark imbrication, buckskin rim binding and side loops
Dimensions: approx 5.5 in high x 5 in diameter at the rim

Condition

Strong, well-preserved imbrication with only minor scattered loss and good colour retention. Buckskin binding intact but with one cut or torn tab visible inside the rim. Interior is darkened from use and there is a small dark stain low on one side. Whether the buckskin binding is original, and any brittleness, odour or insect activity, cannot be assessed from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Attribution is inferred from weave structure and form only — no mark, label or provenance. Should be described as 'Klickitat type' rather than assigned to a specific tribe, per the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. Buckskin is deer hide and unrestricted.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Same fully-imbricated berry-basket comparables as the preceding lot ($895-$1,300 for c.1900-1920 examples), reduced for a probable mid-century date and a possibly non-original rim binding.

$350–$800 fair market

Coiled Basketry

4 objects $620–$1,485

Large plain coiled cedar-root gathering / burden basket with hide loops

Tall undecorated coiled cedar-root gathering basket with a looped rim, hide side tabs for a carrying cord, and an old stitched hide field repair.

A deep tapering cylinder built from bundle-coiled split cedar root, sewn with split root and left entirely undecorated — a working root- and berry-gathering basket rather than a display piece. The rim finishes in the looped, scalloped braid characteristic of Plateau and southwest Washington coiled work, and pierced hide tabs on opposing sides once carried a tumpline; a length of white cotton string is still tied through one of them. A folded hide strip has been stitched vertically into the body over what appears to be an old split — a period field repair rather than a modern restoration. The base is a tight coiled spiral at roughly 7-8 coils per inch. Because it carries no imbrication, tribal attribution is not reliable and the piece sits well below decorated examples in value, but intact plain utility baskets retaining rim, hide tabs and cord are increasingly scarce.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau or southwest Washington coiled tradition (Klickitat, Yakama or Cowlitz); the undecorated form makes tribal attribution unreliable low confidence
Period: probably early-to-mid 20th century; undetermined
Materials: split cedar-root coils and sewing strands, hide reinforcement strip and rim tabs, cotton string
Dimensions: approx 12-14 in high x 8 in across the rim, tapering to about 5 in at the base

Condition

Structurally sound with an even, tight weave and an intact base. One repaired split on the front is covered by a stitched hide strip; there is minor rim wear with a few broken stitch loops, and overall soiling and darkening from use. The hide tabs are dry and one is partly torn. The interior was not photographed, so loose or brittle coils, insect damage and odour cannot be assessed.

Unconfirmed attribution

Undecorated coiled root baskets of this form were made across a wide area of the Plateau and southwest Washington and cannot be assigned to a tribe from photographs. It must be marketed descriptively (e.g. 'Plateau-style coiled cedar-root gathering basket') rather than as the product of a named tribe, per the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. The hide elements read as deer or elk and are unrestricted; nothing about the form suggests a ceremonial or funerary context.

Valuation basis

Category estimate — no directly matching sold record was located; undecorated Plateau/Salish coiled utility baskets of this size consistently trade at a fraction of comparable imbricated examples, which run $900-$2,300 at dealer level.

$300–$700 fair market

Coiled cedar-root gathering basket with crocheted yarn rim and handle

Tapering coiled gathering basket of split root, its rim and carrying handle covered in crocheted pink-and-green acrylic yarn.

A coiled, bucket-form gathering basket: a spiral coiled base and walls built from stacked coils sewn with split-root strands that pierce the coil below, worked up to a folded-over rim. The work is plain — no imbrication — and workmanlike, with visible irregularity and splint ends, and the interior is deeply darkened from use. The rim edge and the arched carrying handle are sheathed in crocheted acrylic yarn in bright pink and green, a later working addition or repair, since acrylic yarn of this type is a post-1950s material. Yarn- or cloth-wrapped rims are a well-documented practical treatment on Plateau berry- and root-gathering baskets. Judged by fibre and stitch character this is essentially the same class of plain coiled Plateau work as the other undecorated gathering baskets here. It is a utility piece, valued as honest used gathering equipment rather than as a decorative basket.

Attribution: Consistent with a Columbia River Plateau utility gathering basket, but a commercial reed basket with an added yarn rim and handle cannot be ruled out; attribution requires in-hand examination of the fibre low confidence
Period: Mid to later 20th century for the yarn rim and handle; the twined body may be somewhat earlier
Materials: split cedar or other conifer root, coiled and sewn; later crocheted acrylic yarn rim wrap and handle
Dimensions: approx. 8-9 in high x 7-8 in diameter at the rim

Condition

Sound and still functional, holding its shape well. Heavy interior darkening and soiling from use, scattered broken and protruding coil and splint ends, greenish surface discolouration on the lower body, and the yarn rim covering and handle are grubby and partly worn through with the core showing at the handle attachment. Whether the yarn conceals rim damage, and whether the splints are brittle, cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

The fibre and origin cannot be confirmed from photographs, and imported plain-twined reed baskets of similar form exist. The modern acrylic yarn rim and handle further complicate dating. This basket must not be offered as Native American made without in-hand fibre identification and provenance, per the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990.

Valuation basis

Category estimate for a used, undecorated twined utility gathering basket with a later synthetic-yarn rim and handle; no directly comparable sold record located, and the range assumes the attribution is not warranted.

$200–$450 fair market

Small plain coiled cedar-root basket with cordage loops

Small undecorated coiled cedar-root basket with a looped rim and two-ply cordage carrying loops.

A compact, hard-sided coiled basket built on a split cedar-root foundation with close, regular stitching and no imbrication - a working berry or utility basket rather than a display piece. The rim carries the same looped/scalloped finish seen on decorated Plateau baskets, and lengths of two-ply plied cordage (hemp-like or jute) are threaded through the rim loops to form handles. Undecorated coiled baskets of this kind are common on the market and cannot be attributed to a specific weaver or tribe on form alone; they trade as decorative country-basketry unless documented.

Attribution: Probably Columbia River Plateau or Salish, unidentified weaver; regional attribution rests on construction alone low confidence
Period: Undetermined; likely early to mid-20th century
Materials: split cedar root (or similar conifer root), plied vegetal-fibre cordage handles
Dimensions: approx. 3.5-4 in high x 4 in diameter

Condition

Intact with an even shape and no obvious breaks. Minor abrasion and darkening at the rim and base, some fraying of the cordage loops, and light overall soiling. Structural tightness, brittleness, mustiness and any interior staining cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Undecorated and unmarked. There is no diagnostic decoration and no maker or collection documentation visible, so it must not be marketed as the product of a specific tribe or as Indian-produced without in-hand examination and provenance - the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 prohibits asserting Native origin that cannot be substantiated.

Valuation basis

Category estimate: small undecorated coiled Northwest/Plateau baskets routinely bring low three figures at regional auction and on marketplaces, well below imbricated examples; no exact sold comparable located.

$100–$275 fair market

Small coiled basket, coarse fibre over bundled foundation — attribution undetermined

A palm-sized straight-sided coiled basket sewn with a coarse pale fibre over a bundled leaf/grass foundation, loosely worked and of uncertain origin.

Built by coiling: a bundle foundation of flat, speckled tan leaf or husk material spiralled from a small centre (visible in the base photograph) and bound with a coarse, hairy, pale-cream fibre. The stitching is widely spaced over most of the body so the foundation shows through, with four vertical panels where the sewing element is packed solid to form the only decoration. There is no imbrication, no cedar-root coil, no dyed pattern work and no Plateau or Southwest design vocabulary. Loose, uneven stitching, frayed and slack sewing strands and a very simple form all point away from a mature traditional weaver: this is most consistent with a learner's or child's piece, or with an early-20th-century raffia-and-reed craft/school basketry exercise of the sort produced in large numbers outside Native communities. It is catalogued honestly as undetermined rather than attributed.

Attribution: Undetermined — not demonstrably Native-made; possibly a learner's piece or a non-Native craft/school basketry exercise low confidence
Period: undetermined; 20th century
Materials: coiled bundle foundation of flat split leaf or husk, sewn with a coarse pale fibre (raffia or similar bast fibre) — materials require in-hand identification
Dimensions: approx. 3.5 in. high x 3.5 in. diameter

Condition

Structurally sound and holds its shape, but the sewing fibre is frayed and slack in several places with loose ends standing free, and there are small gaps where stitches have shifted. Light soiling. Fibre strength, brittleness and any adhesive repairs cannot be assessed from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

This piece must NOT be offered or advertised as Native American made. Nothing in the photographs supports a tribal attribution, and the coarse, spaced stitching over a bundle foundation is equally consistent with a craft-kit or classroom basketry piece; describing it as Indian-produced without documentation would violate the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. No feathers, ivory, marine-mammal material or other regulated substances are present, and it shows no ceremonial or funerary character.

Valuation basis

Category estimate for a small unattributed coiled basket of coarse workmanship with no diagnostic tribal features; no meaningful sold comparable exists for an unidentified piece of this type, and it would sell as decorative basketry rather than as Native American material.

$20–$60 fair market

Other Basketry

1 object $15–$40

Small lidded straw box basket with dyed banding

Small hexagonal lidded trinket basket of tightly coiled and plaited straw with magenta, teal, and yellow dyed bands.

A little six-sided covered box roughly the size of a coffee mug, built of very fine, uniformly sized flat straw or rush worked in a wrapped/sewn coil on the sides and finished with concentric bands of aniline-dyed magenta, teal, yellow, and white on both the lid top and the body. The underside (shown in the base view) is a twill-plaited straw panel rather than a continuous coil, and the rim edges are wrapped in dyed magenta strands. That combination — mechanically even straw, twill-plaited base, bright synthetic dyes, and a snug press-on lid — is typical of mid-20th-century commercially imported straw sewing and trinket baskets rather than Native American work, and it does not match any Plateau, Great Basin, or Southwest coiling tradition. A Great Lakes/Northeastern coiled sweetgrass-and-raffia origin is a less likely alternative. It is included here for completeness as part of the storage-unit lot.

Attribution: Almost certainly non-Native commercial import (likely Asian or Latin American); not Native American in the appraiser's reading low confidence
Period: mid-20th century, likely c. 1950-1980
Materials: flat straw or rush, aniline-dyed straw/raffia wrapping strands
Dimensions: approx. 4 in across x 3.5 in tall including lid

Condition

Sound and clean in the photographs — no breaks, splits, or unraveling visible, lid seats properly, dyes still strong with only mild overall mellowing. Light surface dust. Fragility of the dried straw, any interior staining, and odour cannot be assessed from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

This item should NOT be offered or described as Native American. It appears to be a commercially imported straw basket that happened to be stored with the collection; marketing it as Indian-produced would violate the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. In-hand examination (or a country-of-origin sticker on the base) would settle the question.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Category estimate against the general eBay/Etsy market for small vintage lidded straw and raffia trinket/sewing baskets, which routinely sell in the $15-40 band; no Native American premium applied because the piece does not read as Native-made.

$15–$40 fair market

Dresses & Regalia

4 objects $2,450–$5,720

+4

Beaded-yoke buckskin dress, light blue lane-stitch groundnotable

A woman's white buckskin dress with a beaded band yoke worked in lane (lazy) stitch on a pale blue ground, with cut-hide fringe at the sleeves, sides and hem.

The yoke is beaded in classic lane (lazy) stitch — parallel bands of roughly six to ten seed beads that curve to follow the shoulder line, giving the surface its characteristic soft ridging. It reads as a band across the shoulders and upper chest rather than a full cape-style yoke, and only the front is documented — the reverse of the yoke was not photographed, so whether it is beaded, and whether the yoke is a separate piece attached to the dress body, both need an in-hand check. The pale blue field carries a large stepped central diamond-and-star motif flanked by smaller double-triangle-and-bar elements in opaque orange, yellow, translucent ruby red and dark metallic-iris outlining. Lane-stitch geometry of this kind is a Northern Plains hallmark rather than a Plateau one, but the pale “Crow blue” ground and this vocabulary of stepped diamonds also appear in Plateau and Crow-influenced regalia, and the piece was recovered in the Columbia Plateau. The beads are very uniform in size and the colours include bright opaque orange and clear yellow, which together with the notably bright, evenly tanned hide points to Czech seed beads on commercially tanned hide and a mid-century date. It is priced accordingly — below the antique lane-stitch yoke dresses that bring $6,000 and up at auction.

Attribution: Northern Plains style (Lakota/Sioux-type lane-stitch geometry); collected in the Columbia River Plateau and possibly Plateau-made in a Plains idiom. Tribal attribution unconfirmed. low confidence
Period: Probably mid-20th century, c. 1940-1975; an earlier date cannot be ruled out without in-hand examination of thread and hide
Materials: Glass seed beads (opaque pale blue, orange and yellow, translucent red, metallic-iris dark outlining) on hide/fabric-backed yoke; soft white tanned deerskin body with cut-hide fringe; hide neck ties
Dimensions: Approx. 48-52 in. long; roughly 58-66 in. across the shoulders including sleeve fringe; beaded yoke approx. 8-10 in. deep

Condition

Beadwork photographs as essentially complete and bright, with no obvious voids or broken lanes visible; a few lanes along the lower yoke edge look slightly loose, and a possible loose or open shoulder seam shows in the rotated view. Hide is supple and clean with light overall creasing and faint soiling, and the cut fringe is largely intact with some strands tangled. The reverse of the yoke, thread type, and hide tannage cannot be assessed from these photographs and are the factors that would move this valuation most.

Unconfirmed attribution

Value here rests heavily on a tribal and period attribution that photographs cannot confirm. Under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it is unlawful to market goods as Indian-produced without a basis for that claim, so this dress should be offered as "Plains-style, attribution unconfirmed" until an in-hand examination or provenance documentation supports more. No feathers and no restricted animal material are present — the hide reads as deer or elk and the beads are glass.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Antique first-quarter-20th-century Lakota lane-stitch yoke dresses realize $6,000-$7,080 (Freeman's and comparable results); this example reads mid-century on bead uniformity and hide, and only the front of the yoke is documented, so it is placed well below those.

$1,500–$3,500 fair market

Beaded hide vest with floral sprays and a beaded yellow birdnotable

Golden tanned hide vest, both fronts beaded with mirrored floral sprays and the back with a yellow bird above a wild rose, lined in paisley cotton.

A sleeveless hide vest with the natural, untrimmed edge of the skin left along the lower front. Each front carries a matching spray: two large mint-green leaves outlined in blue, a white heart outlined in red, two blue hearts, and three orange-centred white-and-yellow daisies, all worked in contour/appliqué stitch directly on the hide with the stems beaded as single lines. The upper back carries a beaded yellow bird — a goldfinch or meadowlark — perched above a pink and red wild rose with green leaves, beaded in the same hand and palette. The vest is fully lined in a white cotton printed with small blue, red and brown paisleys and bound at the neck and armholes with hide. Heart, rose and songbird motifs in this bright, evenly-sized bead palette on a printed cotton lining are typical of Plateau and Northern Plains beadwork of the middle of the 20th century rather than of early reservation-period work; nothing about the piece suggests non-Native hobby manufacture — the beading is sewn (not glued), the hide is hand-cut with its natural edge retained, and the motifs are drawn freehand rather than from a kit pattern.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau or Northern Plains; unmarked, consistent with Plateau floral beadwork medium confidence
Period: mid-20th century, c. 1940s–1960s
Materials: tanned deer or elk hide, glass seed beads, cotton thread, printed cotton lining
Dimensions: approx. 17–19 in. shoulder to hem; youth or small adult size

Condition

The hide is evenly golden but noticeably soiled and darkened overall, with several shadowy stains and a small dark spot near the lower front. Beadwork appears complete, with no visible bead loss and the colours still strong. The paisley lining is intact but toned; stitching along one side seam looks loose in the photographs. Hide suppleness, dry-rot, insect damage, odour and thread integrity cannot be judged from photographs and should be checked in hand.

Unconfirmed attribution

The vest is unmarked and unsigned; the Plateau/Northern Plains attribution rests on style and technique and is a significant part of the value. It must not be marketed as the work of a named tribe or maker without documentation (Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990). The bird is entirely beadwork — no feathers, claws, ivory or other protected animal material is present; the only animal material is ordinary tanned deer or elk hide.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

A vintage Flathead beaded vest of c. 1920 was offered and sold at $2,400 by Quintana Galleries, and mid-20th-century Plateau beaded hide items are asked at $1,500–$2,500 by specialist dealers; range set below those figures for a mid-century date, spot (not fully) beaded decoration and visible soiling.

$500–$1,200 fair market

+1

Beaded hide vest with pictorial bald eagle and hourglass front panelsnotable

Soft tanned hide vest with a beaded pictorial bald eagle on the back, matching blue-and-yellow hourglass strips on both front panels, and a printed cotton lining.

A men's or youth's vest of soft napped tanned hide, hand-assembled from pieced sections and fully lined with a commercial printed cotton in a blue, orange and green floral pattern; the outer edges are cut into a decorative pinked sawtooth and whip-stitched to the lining with heavy white thread. The beadwork is worked in overlay (appliqué/contour) stitch — rows of small seed beads laid to follow the contour of each shape — rather than the parallel lanes of Plains lazy stitch. The back carries a naturalistic bald eagle in flight, shaded from maroon through rose with a white head and tail, black wing tips drawn out into individual beaded feather tips, and yellow legs and talons; each front panel carries a matching bow-tie/hourglass device in transparent blue and opaque yellow with small metallic cut-bead accents. Contour-stitch shading, realistic pictorial subjects and the sparing use of beadwork on an otherwise plain hide garment are all consistent with mid-20th-century Columbia Plateau work, and the printed cotton lining points to roughly the 1940s-1960s. Market note: partially beaded hide vests of this type trade well below the fully-beaded Plains and Plateau vests that reach several thousand dollars, but a crisp pictorial eagle is the most saleable subject in this category.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, possibly Yakama, Umatilla or Warm Springs; unmarked, and Plains or Great Lakes origin cannot be excluded medium confidence
Period: c. 1940s-1960s
Materials: glass seed beads (uniform Czech-type, transparent blue, opaque yellow, white, maroon, black, with a few metallic cut beads), soft napped tanned deer or elk hide, commercial printed cotton lining, cotton thread and hide lacing/ties
Dimensions: Estimated from photographs: approx. 19-22 in across the back and approx. 18-21 in long (youth or small adult size); beaded eagle approx. 6-7 in across; each front hourglass strip approx. 8-9 in long

Condition

Beadwork is largely intact and tight; a small area of bead loss and exposed thread is visible just above the eagle's talons, and a few edge beads along the front strips look loose. The hide is soft but shows overall soiling, darkened handling areas, surface abrasion and small splits near the pinked edges; the lining is intact but wrinkled with light staining. Hide suppleness, dry-rot, odour, insect activity, hidden repairs, thread condition on the reverse of the beadwork and whether the hide is brain-tanned or commercially tanned cannot be judged from photographs and require in-hand examination.

Unconfirmed attribution

The vest carries no maker's mark, label or collection tag, so the Plateau attribution rests on style and technique alone and must be offered as an opinion, not a fact — under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it may not be marketed as Indian-produced without verification. The eagle is entirely rendered in glass beads; no actual feathers, ivory, bear claw or marine-mammal material is present, and the hide appears to be ordinary deer or elk. Nothing about the piece suggests a sacred, funerary or medicine object.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

A comparable sinew-sewn pictorial beaded hide man's vest of the first half of the 20th century realized $900 at Jeffrey S. Evans (est. $200-300) with far broader bead coverage, while general auction results for 20th-century beaded vests cluster between $200 and $2,000 and gallery retail for an early fully-beaded vest runs to $2,400; this vest's limited bead coverage and condition wear place it in the lower part of that spread.

$400–$900 fair market

Navy and black plaid wool dance shawl with multicolor hand-knotted yarn fringe

Soft wool shawl in a dark navy and black plaid with red, orange, teal, magenta and blue overchecks, hand-fringed all round in thick multicolored wool yarn.

Fine, softly napped wool twill in a dark plaid — near-black and navy grounds crossed by scarlet, orange, teal green, royal blue and magenta bars — cut to shape, machine-finished along the side edges, and hand-fringed with long loops of heavy worsted yarn in matched red, orange, pink, teal, blue and navy knotted through the ends. Added yarn fringe on a cut-down wool blanket length is the standard construction of a wool blanket shawl worn for powwow dancing, giveaway and social wear across the Columbia River Plateau, so this reads as functional regalia rather than a commercial throw. No mill label or maker mark is visible; construction reads as later 20th century, and the piece appears used but not heavily danced.

Attribution: Hand-fringed wool blanket shawl in the Columbia River Plateau / intertribal powwow idiom; maker unidentified and Native manufacture unverified low confidence
Period: later 20th century, c. 1960s-1990s
Materials: woven wool plaid, heavy multicolored wool yarn fringe, machine-sewn edges
Dimensions: approx. 55-65 in. x 55-65 in., shown folded

Condition

Cloth is supple with strong unfaded color and no visible holes; some lint and light surface fuzz. Fringe is complete but badly tangled, with several long loops pulled out of line. One side edge shows a run of pale machine stitching that may be a repair or a factory hem. Moth damage, odor and the condition of the folded interior cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Identified as a dance shawl from construction alone — hand-applied yarn fringe on a cut wool blanket. There is no label, signature or provenance to establish Native manufacture, so under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it must not be advertised as Indian-made; in-hand examination and any family provenance from the storage unit would be needed to say more.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Handmade fringed powwow dance shawls list in roughly the $60-$150 range on eBay and Etsy, and comparable branded fringed wool plaid throws ask around $125; this unlabeled used example is placed below both.

$50–$120 fair market

Pendleton Blankets & Shawls

9 objects $2,065–$4,085

Pendleton "Beaver State" Indian Robe and/or Shawl with original paper hangtag, royal blue diamond-band pattern 2600notable

Royal blue Pendleton Beaver State robe with gold and cream diamond bands, black wool binding, and its original numbered paper hangtag still attached — apparently never used.

Jacquard-woven wool robe on a strong royal blue ground, with a wide band of large serrated concentric diamonds in gold, tan, brown, cream and black bordered above and below by rainbow stripe bands (white-yellow-orange-red); edges are finished with black wool binding. Both labels survive: the sewn-in gold-on-navy "Beaver State / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS / PENDLETON, OREGON / Robes and Shawls" woven tag, and — unusually — the original printed paper hangtag reading "BEAVER STATE QUALITY / INDIAN ROBE and/or SHAWL / Z-461 / SIZE 62x76 / FIBER CONTENT 82% Filling — Pure Virgin Wool, 18% Warp — Spool Spun Cotton / PATTERN NUMBER 2600 / COLOR NO. 110 / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS, PENDLETON, OREGON / \"SINCE THE WINNING OF THE WEST\"". The letterpress hangtag style, the cotton-warp fibre statement and the dark woven label together point to a mid-century date, roughly the 1940s through the early 1960s. The diamond-band layout belongs to the same family as Pendleton's "Harding" and Chief Joseph derived designs; pattern number 2600 could not be matched to a published pattern name, so the design is described rather than named. Surviving unused with its paper tag is the value driver here — most vintage Beaver State robes reach the market used and tagless.

Attribution: Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton, Oregon — documented by both the sewn label and the original paper hangtag high confidence
Period: c. 1940s-early 1960s, based on the letterpress "Since the Winning of the West" hangtag, cotton-warp fibre content and gold-on-navy woven label
Materials: 82% virgin wool filling over spool-spun cotton warp (per the hangtag), black wool binding tape
Dimensions: 62 x 76 in. (stated on the original hangtag)

Condition

Presents as unused or barely used: nap is full, colors are unfaded, the binding is clean and the paper hangtag is still attached with its original pin, only lightly toned and creased. The blanket is photographed folded, so the full field and the reverse face were not inspected — moth grazing along folds, storage odour, and any small holes hidden in the folds cannot be judged from photographs and should be verified in hand.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

A published appraisal puts blue and red Beaver State diamond-band robes of this label era at $400-500 with a $450 replacement figure, a dealer asks $495 for a labeled example in excellent condition, and auction houses estimate large Beaver State robes at $300-600; the surviving original hangtag and apparently unused state justify pricing at and above the top of those comparables.

$400–$750 fair market

Pendleton "Beaver State" fringed jacquard robe/shawl, brown ground with green, turquoise, yellow and purple banded geometricnotable

Large fringed Pendleton Beaver State wool robe/shawl in a bright banded geometric jacquard on a dark brown ground, with the woven gold-on-blue "Beaver State" label intact.

Reversible-face wool jacquard woven in horizontal bands of stepped triangles, concentric diamonds and "bowtie" blocks in kelly and lime green, turquoise, royal blue, yellow, orange, purple and cream against a chocolate-brown ground, with heavy twisted dark-brown warp fringe along the long edges. The woven label at the lower corner reads "Beaver State / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS" in gold on blue — the blue-and-gold label generation generally placed in the 1960s-1970s by vintage Pendleton reference sources, consistent with the saturated synthetic-dye palette here. Pendleton Woolen Mills of Pendleton, Oregon is a commercial (non-Native) mill whose trade blankets were and are woven expressly for the Plateau and Plains market and are still central to Columbia River Plateau gift-giving, powwow and family use; a fringed robe of this size in this condition is the strongest textile in this photo range.

Attribution: Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton/Portland, Oregon — commercially woven trade blanket, not an Indian-produced textile high confidence
Period: c. 1960s-1970s, based on the gold-on-blue woven Beaver State label
Materials: wool (Pendleton 100% virgin wool line), woven jacquard, twisted self-fringe
Dimensions: approx. 60-64 in. x 76-80 in. excluding fringe (full robe/shawl size)

Condition

Colors read bright and unfaded, nap is intact and the label is legible and undamaged. Fringe is tangled and matted in places with a few strands pulled or shortened along the long edge. No holes, stains or moth tracks visible in these photographs. Moth eggs, odor, small repairs and the condition of the folded interior cannot be assessed from photographs. Photographed from both sides across two photo sets; plate 148 shows the reverse.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Fringed Beaver State robes/shawls of this size with intact vintage labels are asking and selling in the $125-$375 band on eBay and vintage dealer sites, with clean bright examples and desirable multicolor patterns at the top of that range and above.

$275–$575 fair market

Pendleton Chief Joseph robe, red colourway 64 x 80 in., with original hangtagnotable

Vintage Pendleton Beaver State Chief Joseph robe in the classic red colourway, 64 x 80 in. with dark green whipped binding, retaining both the woven Beaver State label and the original paper hangtag.

Reversible napped wool jacquard in Pendleton's Chief Joseph pattern — arrowhead and stepped-diamond bands in green, black, cream, grey-blue and tan on a bright red ground — finished not with fringe but with a bound edge in dark green wool tape, the robe (rather than shawl) format historically preferred for wrapping and for giveaway gifting. The corner label is the gold-on-blue "Beaver State / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS / Robes and Shawls" woven label. The original paper hangtag is still attached and legible: "BEAVER STATE QUALITY / CHIEF JOSEPH / INDIAN ROBE and/or SHAWL / Z-411 / SIZE 64 x 80 / 82% Filling — Pure Virgin Wool, 18% Warp — Spool Spun Cotton / PATTERN NUMBER 2800 / COLOR NO. 100 / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS, PENDLETON, OREGON / 'SINCE THE WINNING OF THE WEST'". Style Z-411 is the Chief Joseph robe still catalogued today as ZD411. A documented, apparently unused vintage Chief Joseph robe with its tag intact is the strongest single piece in this group of blankets.

Attribution: Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton, Oregon — Beaver State Chief Joseph robe, style Z-411, pattern 2800, colour 100 high confidence
Period: vintage; the Z-411 style number, blue Beaver State woven label and "Since the Winning of the West" paper hangtag together read roughly c. 1950s-1970s (label/tag sequence not verified against a published dating chart)
Materials: 82% virgin wool filling, 18% spool-spun cotton warp, napped both faces; dark green wool binding tape
Dimensions: 64 x 80 in. (from the hangtag)

Condition

Presents as unused or lightly used: original paper hangtag still stapled at the corner, binding tape tight and unfrayed with no rolled or split corners, nap full and colours bright with no fading. No moth holes or stains visible in the folded views or the partially opened view. Photographed folded, so the reverse, the folds, small moth nips, mothing along the binding, and any storage odour cannot be judged from photographs.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

A comparable 64x80 Chief Joseph Beaver State robe in fine condition carried a $350-550 estimate at North American Auction Company (Oct 2021) and a labelled Beaver State geometric $400-800 (Jan 2024); current Pendleton retail for a Chief Joseph blanket runs $319-549, and the surviving hangtag on an apparently unused example supports the top of the band.

$325–$575 fair market

Pendleton Chief Joseph fringed shawl, fuchsia colourway, with original hangtag

Vintage Pendleton Beaver State Chief Joseph shawl in an uncommon hot pink / fuchsia colourway, 68 x 68 in., with both the woven Beaver State label and the original paper hangtag still attached.

Reversible napped wool jacquard in Pendleton's Chief Joseph pattern — the mill's best-known Native trade design, first woven in the 1920s and still in production — here in a saturated fuchsia ground with turquoise, orange, tan, black and white arrowhead and diamond bands, finished with full hand-knotted pink macrame fringe. The corner label is the gold-on-blue "Beaver State / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS / Robes and Shawls" woven label, and the original paper hangtag remains attached: "BEAVER STATE QUALITY / CHIEF JOSEPH / INDIAN ROBE and/or SHAWL / Z-412 / SIZE 68 x 68 / 82% Filling — Pure Virgin Wool, 18% Warp — Spool Spun Cotton / PATTERN NUMBER 1800 / COLOR NO. 127 / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS, PENDLETON, OREGON / 'SINCE THE WINNING OF THE WEST'". Style number Z-412 corresponds to the mill's Chief Joseph shawl (today catalogued ZD412 / 70433), and the pink/fuchsia colourway is comparatively scarce and actively sought by collectors and dancers. Presence of the untouched hangtag and unworn fringe indicates it was stored rather than danced.

Attribution: Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton, Oregon — Beaver State Chief Joseph shawl, style Z-412, pattern 1800, colour 127 high confidence
Period: vintage; the Z-412 style number, blue Beaver State woven label and "Since the Winning of the West" paper hangtag together read roughly c. 1950s-1970s (label/tag sequence not verified against a published dating chart)
Materials: 82% virgin wool filling, 18% spool-spun cotton warp, napped both faces; hand-knotted wool fringe
Dimensions: 68 x 68 in. plus fringe (from the hangtag)

Condition

Presents as unused or near-unused: original paper hangtag still stapled in place, fringe full, even and untangled, colours brilliant with no fading. No moth holes, stains or bald nap visible in the areas shown. The shawl is photographed folded, so the reverse, the folds, small moth nips, and any storage odour cannot be judged from photographs.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Current Pendleton retail for the same 68x68 Chief Joseph shawl is $329-335 (recent sale price $262.99) and a new-with-tag example was offered on eBay at $224.88, while vintage Beaver State examples carry $350-800 auction estimates; the scarce fuchsia colourway with hangtag intact supports the upper half of that band.

$275–$500 fair market

Pendleton Beaver State fringed shawl, royal blue banded geometric

Vintage Pendleton "Beaver State — Robes and Shawls" reversible wool shawl on a brilliant royal blue ground, with knotted blue fringe and the gold-on-blue woven label intact.

Napped reversible jacquard wool shawl with bands and offset blocks of triangles in magenta, red, tan, kelly green, orange and white on a saturated royal blue ground, finished with a deep hand-knotted blue macrame fringe on two edges. The gold-on-blue woven label in the corner reads "Beaver State / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS / PENDLETON, OREGON / Robes and Shawls" — the mill's dedicated label for its Native trade robes and shawls, used across much of the mid-20th century, so this is a vintage rather than current-production piece. Shawls in this format were and are worn wrapped or over the arm for dances and giveaways throughout the Columbia Plateau, and the fringed shawl market is stronger than that for plain camp blankets of the same age.

Attribution: Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton, Oregon — Beaver State "Robes and Shawls" line; made for and widely used in Columbia Plateau and Plains Native communities high confidence
Period: mid-20th century, c. 1950s-1970s (based on the woven Beaver State "Robes and Shawls" label style; not verified against a published dating chart)
Materials: virgin wool with spool-spun cotton warp, napped both faces; hand-knotted wool fringe
Dimensions: shown folded; shawl format, roughly 62-68 x 64-80 in.

Condition

Dyes are vivid with no obvious sun fading; no moth holes or stains visible on the exposed faces. The knotted fringe netting is complete but snagged and loosened in places, with a few pulled loops and one stray white thread near the label edge. The blanket is never fully spread in these photographs, so the reverse, the interior of the folds, moth damage, small holes, and odour cannot be assessed.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Vintage Beaver State geometric trade blankets with intact labels carried a $400-800 estimate at North American Auction Company (Jan 2024) and a Chief Joseph example $350-550 (Oct 2021), while current-production fringed Pendleton shawls retail at $329-335; a used mid-century fringed shawl with fringe wear sits below those figures.

$225–$450 fair market

Pendleton "Beaver State" Robes and Shawls robe, grey ground with central eagle medallion

Grey-ground Pendleton Beaver State wool robe with a large stylized eagle in the centre panel, flanked by rainbow stripe bands and rows of stepped concentric diamonds.

Reversible jacquard-woven wool robe on a heather-grey ground. The centre panel carries a large stylized eagle or thunderbird figure worked in gold, cobalt, maroon and black with an arrow motif above and below it; the field to either side is built from vertical rainbow stripe bands (crimson-orange-yellow-white) alternating with columns of stepped concentric diamonds in cobalt, turquoise, gold and orange. Edges are finished with whipstitched grey wool binding rather than fringe, which makes this a robe/blanket rather than a shawl. The sewn-in label is the bright-blue-ground gold "Beaver State ... PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS ... Robes and Shawls" type, later than the dark navy label and generally placed in the 1960s-1970s. Dealers and archived sale records list this design under the Beaver State "Eagle" robe/shawl name; the eagle here is a woven design element, not a real feather.

Attribution: Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton, Oregon — commercial mill product marketed for and widely used in Native communities high confidence
Period: c. 1960s-1970s, based on the later bright-blue "Beaver State / Robes and Shawls" label
Materials: jacquard-woven wool with wool binding tape
Dimensions: roughly 62 x 80 in.

Condition

Pattern is crisp and colors are strong with no visible fading, holes or repairs in these photographs. There is a small dark soiled spot on the grey binding near one folded corner, and the binding shows light overall grubbiness. The blanket is shown folded, so the reverse face and the full field could not be inspected; moth grazing, pin holes and odour cannot be assessed from photographs.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Beaver State "Eagle" robes of this size and label era are offered by online dealers in the $150-300 range, while auction houses estimate large Beaver State trade blankets at $300-600; the clean condition and full-size format support the middle of that spread.

$200–$425 fair market

Pendleton "Beaver State" Robes and Shawls fringed serape-stripe shawl, teal

Peacock-teal Pendleton Beaver State wool shawl with banded rainbow stripes and knotted self-fringe, carrying the early gold-on-navy "Robes and Shawls" label.

Commercially jacquard-woven wool shawl in a serape-stripe layout: a deep teal/peacock ground crossed by bands of red, orange, yellow, white, green, black and pink stripes, with heavy macrame-knotted self-fringe on two ends. The sewn-in label reads "Beaver State / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS / PENDLETON, OREGON" with a side panel reading "Robes and Shawls" — the gold-on-navy woven label style Pendleton used from roughly the 1930s into the 1960s, before the modern script logo and "Made in U.S.A." wording appeared. Pendleton shawls of this type were sold heavily through Columbia Plateau trade channels and are still used as dance and give-away shawls at Yakama, Umatilla and Nez Perce gatherings, which supports a regional market well above generic camp-blanket prices. The fringed shawl format is a better market than a plain bound camp blanket of the same age.

Attribution: Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton, Oregon — a non-Native commercial mill; the blanket type is closely associated with Columbia Plateau use and gift-giving high confidence
Period: c. 1930s-1960s, based on the gold-on-navy "Beaver State / Robes and Shawls" woven label
Materials: jacquard-woven wool (Pendleton robe-weight), knotted wool self-fringe
Dimensions: roughly 60 x 64 in. plus about 5 in. of knotted fringe on two ends

Condition

Colors read bright and unfaded and the fringe appears complete and unmatted in the photographs; the label is intact and legible. Scattered light lint and one or two small pale flecks on the field may be surface debris rather than stains. Moth damage, small holes, odour and any wet-cleaning history cannot be judged from photographs and should be checked in hand against a strong light.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Comparable labeled Beaver State fringed shawls list and sell in the $125-350 band online, and a published appraisal of a Beaver State robe of this label era puts average sale around $195 with better colorways higher; the fringed-shawl format and strong color place this in the upper part of that band.

$175–$375 fair market

Pendleton "Beaver State" Robes and Shawls fringed shawl, purple with green stripes

Violet-purple Pendleton Beaver State wool shawl with green and cream stripe bands, orange-and-red stepped-diamond jacquard bands, and knotted dark green fringe.

Jacquard-woven wool shawl on a saturated violet-purple ground, laid out in vertical bands: paired kelly-green and cream stripes alternating with narrow panels of stepped diamond and cross motifs in orange, coral red and yellow. The edges carry knotted dark green wool fringe. The sewn-in label is the gold-on-navy "Beaver State / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS / PENDLETON, OREGON / Robes and Shawls" woven type; that label persisted for decades, but the bright synthetic purple and kelly green dyes argue for the later end of its run, roughly the 1950s through 1970s. Purple-and-green fringed Pendleton shawls of this kind are a staple of Plateau powwow and give-away use and hold a steady regional market.

Attribution: Pendleton Woolen Mills, Pendleton, Oregon — commercial mill product long used as Plateau dance and give-away shawls high confidence
Period: c. 1950s-1970s
Materials: jacquard-woven wool, knotted wool fringe
Dimensions: roughly 50 x 60 in. plus about 4 in. of knotted fringe (shown partly folded, so approximate)

Condition

Colors are vivid with no obvious fading, and the label is bright and fully legible. The green fringe is intact but noticeably tangled and matted in places and would benefit from combing out. Only one face and part of the field were photographed; moth damage, small holes, dye run and odour cannot be judged from photographs.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Comparable labeled Beaver State fringed shawls in purple/green colourways are listed in the $100-250 band online, with a fringed 64 x 64 example asking about $125; condition here is good but the tangled fringe and unverified full field keep the top of the range moderate.

$125–$300 fair market

Pendleton "Highland" solid royal blue fringed wool motor robe / throw, with original hangtag

Solid royal blue 100% virgin wool Pendleton Highland fringed throw (motor robe), 52 x 70 in., still carrying its original paper hangtag.

Undyed-edge-free solid royal blue brushed wool throw with long twisted self-fringe on both short ends. The original Mt. Hood hangtag is still stapled to the corner and reads "WARRANTED TO BE A PENDLETON / TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / PENDLETON WOOLEN MILLS / PORTLAND OREGON / 100% VIRGIN WOOL — for the rest of your life — Highland, Color No. 636, 52 x 70", with stock number Z-322. "Highland" is Pendleton's long-running solid and plaid motor-robe/throw line in exactly this 52 x 70 format. This is a commercial Pendleton household throw rather than a Native-made or Indian-pattern trade blanket; it is included because Pendleton wool is a standard component of Plateau shawl and giveaway use and because a tagged, apparently unused example carries a premium over a used throw.

Attribution: Pendleton Woolen Mills, Portland, Oregon — "Highland" throw/motor robe line high confidence
Period: c. 1950s-1970s, based on the Mt. Hood "for the rest of your life" paper hangtag and the gold-on-blue trademark cartouche
Materials: 100% virgin wool, twisted self-fringe, paper hangtag
Dimensions: 52 x 70 in. per the hangtag

Condition

Reads as new or near-new old stock — nap is full, color is even and strong, fringe is complete and untwisted, hangtag still attached (the tag itself is torn across one upper corner). No moth damage, fading or staining visible. Odor and any storage creasing cannot be judged from photographs.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Vintage Pendleton Highland 52x70 motor robes sell in the $60-$100 range used and roughly $95-$135 new-with-tags on eBay and WorthPoint; this one is tagged and apparently unused.

$65–$135 fair market

Textiles & Trade Cloth

5 objects $350–$860

Red wool dance shawl with embroidered blue roses, "Indian Shawl — Ashland, Montana" label

A large red wool powwow shawl with long knotted silk-rayon fringe and embroidered blue rose-and-vine borders, carrying a woven maker's label reading "INDIAN SHAWL / ASHLAND, MONTANA".

The shawl is a plain-weave red wool square finished on all sides with long knotted orange-red floss fringe, and embroidered along two borders with a scrolling vine bearing blue roses and buds and pale green leaves. The embroidery is worked in dense satin stitch with a corded chain-stitch vine, and its regularity — plus the way the reverse reads as flat cording — indicates commercial machine embroidery rather than hand needlework. The stitched label reads "INDIAN SHAWL, ASHLAND, MONTANA"; Ashland lies on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and shawls under this label were produced and sold into the Native dance trade, with documented examples surviving in Plains and Oklahoma families. This is therefore a commercially manufactured trade textile made for Native use rather than a hand-crafted tribal art object — an important distinction for value and for how it should be described — but labelled vintage examples have a real collector and dancer market, and the embroidered version is scarcer than the plain solid-colour shawls that turn up most often.

Attribution: Commercially manufactured under the "Indian Shawl" label, Ashland, Montana (Northern Cheyenne Reservation area); made for the Native American dance/powwow trade. Not attributable to an individual Native maker. high confidence
Period: Mid-20th century, c. 1950-1975, based on the label style and construction
Materials: Red wool plain-weave cloth; silk or rayon floss knotted fringe; cotton or rayon embroidery floss; woven cotton maker's label
Dimensions: Approx. 55-66 in. square with roughly 10-12 in. of knotted fringe

Condition

Colour is strong and the wool shows no obvious holes or thin areas in these photographs; the label is intact and fully legible. The fringe is tangled in places with some pulled, kinked or shortened strands along the fringed edges, and a few small darker marks in the red field may be light staining. Heavy fold creasing throughout from storage. Moth damage, odour, colour fastness, and any small repairs or reweaves cannot be assessed from photographs, and wool of this age stored in a unit should be inspected closely for insect activity.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Vintage plain solid-colour "Indian Shawl" Ashland, Montana examples of similar size trade in the low hundreds on the secondary market, and comparable 1960s embroidered fringed wool shawls have sold around $150; the added embroidered borders, large size and legible maker's label support the upper part of this range.

$175–$425 fair market

Plaid wool powwow dance shawl with long rayon chainette fringe

Roughly square red, orange, yellow and navy plaid wool shawl edged with long yellow-and-purple rayon fringe.

A twill-woven wool plaid in bright red, orange, chrome yellow and navy, cut square and finished on the machine, with commercial rayon chainette fringe in yellow and purple applied along the edges in a stitched heading - the standard construction for a Plateau/intertribal powwow dance shawl, where a length of plaid or solid wool cloth is hemmed and fringed for the round dance and fancy shawl dance. No mill label, selvage mark or Pendleton woven label is visible in any of the photographs, and the cloth reads as commercial plaid suiting or blanket cloth rather than a labelled trade blanket, so it should not be presented as Pendleton. The saturated dye palette and the synthetic chainette fringe place it in the second half of the 20th century.

Attribution: Native-made powwow dance shawl, most likely Columbia Plateau given the collection's Yakima Valley provenance, but the form is intertribal and the cloth is commercial; no maker or tribal identification is present. low confidence
Period: mid-to-late 20th century
Materials: commercial twill-woven wool plaid cloth, machine-applied rayon/acetate chainette fringe, cotton or polyester sewing thread
Dimensions: approx. 46 x 50 in. of cloth plus 8-10 in. of fringe on the fringed edges

Condition

The cloth is bright with strong unfaded colour and no obvious moth holes, tears or stains visible at this resolution; a couple of small dark specks appear on the field. The fringe is heavily tangled and matted, with scattered broken and shortened strands and loose ends along the lower edge, and would need combing out. Moth eggs, small holes hidden in the folds, odour, and whether the fringe is complete along all four sides cannot be determined from photographs.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

New commercially made dance shawls retail $40-$45 (The Wandering Bull), while labelled vintage Pendleton plaid wool shawls are asked at $250-$300; an unlabelled vintage plaid wool shawl with tangled fringe sits between the two.

$60–$160 fair market

Dark green, navy and black tartan wool shawl/throw with applied dark fringe

Unlabeled wool tartan throw or blanket shawl in bottle green, navy and black with a thin gold overcheck, hand-fringed in dark wool yarn along one end.

Medium-weight woven wool in a Black Watch-family tartan — bottle green, navy blue and black blocks crossed by a fine gold-yellow overcheck — with thick dark navy/green wool fringe knotted through one end and a plain finished edge elsewhere. The applied (rather than woven self-) fringe and the cut-and-hemmed edge indicate a commercial wool blanket length that has been finished by hand into a wearable shawl, a common and continuing practice on the Columbia Plateau where wool shawls are worn for dance, giveaway and everyday wear. No mill label is visible in either photograph, so the maker is undetermined; the cloth quality is consistent with a mid-20th-century American or British woolen mill.

Attribution: Unmarked commercial wool tartan, hand-fringed; possibly finished as a shawl in a Columbia Plateau household but this cannot be confirmed from photographs low confidence
Period: mid to later 20th century, undetermined more precisely without a label
Materials: woven wool tartan, applied wool yarn fringe, machine-finished edge
Dimensions: approx. 50-60 in. x 60-70 in., shown folded

Condition

Considerable surface lint and light pilling; colors are strong with no obvious fading. Fringe is complete but tangled and slightly matted. A few tiny pale flecks may be lint rather than damage. Small moth holes, thin spots and odor cannot be ruled out from these photographs, and the unphotographed folded interior was not inspected.

Unconfirmed attribution

No mill mark and no diagnostic Native-made element beyond the hand-applied fringe. It must not be marketed as an Indian-produced item (Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990); it is being catalogued as an unmarked commercial wool tartan that appears to have been hand-finished as a shawl.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Unlabeled mid-century wool tartan fringed throws of this size trade in the $32-$60 range; hand-fringed shawl-format examples with attractive tartans reach roughly $75-$95 in Native-arts and vintage-textile channels.

$40–$95 fair market

Wool plaid fringed shawl / lap robe, navy-green-red tartan

Heavy wool plaid shawl in dark navy, forest green and red with twisted wool fringe; no maker label is visible in the photographs.

Napped wool plaid in a dark tartan colourway — navy ground with forest green blocks and single red and blue overchecks — finished on the ends with thick twisted wool fringe in dark green and navy with a few red strands. Shown folded lengthwise on the backdrop, so only one face and one fringed end could be examined. No mill label appears in either photograph; the weight, nap and fringe treatment are consistent with a mid-20th-century American woollen-mill shawl or lap robe, and Pendleton made plaid "Robes and Shawls" of this type alongside its jacquard patterns, but that attribution cannot be confirmed from these images. Plaid wool shawls of this kind are commonly kept and used as dance and give-away shawls on the Plateau, which is likely how it entered the collection.

Attribution: Unmarked commercial American woollen mill; possibly Pendleton but no label is visible — attribution requires in-hand examination of the reverse and corners low confidence
Period: mid-20th century, undetermined
Materials: napped wool plaid, twisted wool fringe
Dimensions: roughly 52 x 62 in. plus about 4 in. fringe (folded in the photographs, so approximate)

Condition

Several pale spots and a faint diffuse lighter area are visible on the folded face, consistent with old water or beverage staining; the dark ground makes damage hard to read. Fringe appears intact but slightly matted. Because the piece is folded, the reverse, the second fringed end and the corners were not seen; moth damage and odour cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

No maker label is visible, so this must not be advertised as Pendleton or as a Native-made piece. It is a commercially milled wool plaid; under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it may not be offered as Indian-produced.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Category estimate from vintage wool plaid fringed blankets and shawls: unbranded tartan stadium/lap robes in good condition run about $75 and branded camp plaids $100-200, with the visible staining and absent label holding this to the lower half.

$40–$95 fair market

Reversible coarse-woven plaid wool throw, rust and cream one face / pale blue and cream the other, macrame-knotted fringe

Loosely woven reversible wool plaid throw showing a rust, salmon, cream and black plaid on one face and a pale blue, cream and black plaid on the reverse, finished with heavy hand-knotted fringe.

Soft, openly woven double-cloth blanket with a large-scale windowpane plaid: brick and salmon with cream and charcoal bars on the front, and the same grid rendered in pale sky blue, cream and charcoal on the reverse. The long edge is finished with thick hand-knotted fringe twisting cream, rust and dark yarns together. The two photographs of a rust face and a blue face are the two sides of a single folded piece, confirmed by the continuous shared fringe row visible in the third photograph — it is catalogued here as one blanket. Loose weave, brushed low-twist yarn and no visible mill label suggest an inexpensive mid-century domestic or imported wool/wool-blend camp throw rather than a Pendleton or a Native-made textile.

Attribution: Unmarked commercial reversible plaid throw, maker and country of manufacture undetermined; no Native-made attribution is claimed low confidence
Period: mid to later 20th century
Materials: loosely woven wool or wool-blend double cloth, hand-knotted fringe; fiber content unverified without a label or burn test
Dimensions: approx. 50-60 in. x 66-72 in., shown folded lengthwise

Condition

Weave is intact with no visible holes; some surface fuzzing and a slightly grubby cast to the cream ground, and the knotted fringe is frayed and shedding in places. Because the weave is open, small pulls and thin spots may not read in these photographs, and odor, fiber content and stains on the unphotographed portions could not be assessed.

Valuation basis & 1 source

Category estimate benchmarked to unlabeled vintage plaid fringed wool throws, which change hands around $32-$60, with reversible two-color examples in clean condition toward $85.

eBay — vintage plaid fringed wool throw blanket listings and sold prices

$35–$85 fair market

Bone, Shell & Quill Adornment

1 object $45–$120

Three-row bone hairpipe choker

A three-strand choker of sawn bone hairpipe spaced with red and bronze glass beads and leather spacer bars.

Three parallel strands of sawn bone hairpipe alternate with courses of opaque red and dark bronze-brown glass rounds, held in register by narrow hide spacer bars and gathered at each end into leather thong ties. The hairpipe is machine-turned and uniform, of the type mass-produced in ox and buffalo bone for the North American craft supply trade from the mid-20th century onward, so the piece is best described as vintage powwow/dance jewellery rather than an early trade-era ornament. Chokers of this pattern were and remain standard men's dance neckwear across the Plains and Plateau.

Attribution: Plains/Plateau powwow style; unmarked, tribal attribution not determinable low confidence
Period: mid-to-late 20th century
Materials: sawn bone (ox/buffalo) hairpipe, opaque red and bronze glass beads, hide spacer bars and thong ties
Dimensions: approx. 10-11 in. of beaded length, three rows, hairpipe approx. 1.25-1.5 in. each; thong ties add several inches per side

Condition

Complete and strung tight; the bone is evenly cream-coloured with light handling patina. Photographs show minor fraying of the hide ties and one visibly loose thread near a spacer. Stringing-cord strength is the usual failure point on these and cannot be assessed from a photograph.

Restricted animal material

Material identified as domestic livestock/bison bone hairpipe of commercial manufacture, which is unrestricted. Flagged only so the material is on record; no ivory, marine-mammal, bear-claw or big-cat material is present. Confirm bone rather than plastic in hand.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Auction estimates for vintage multi-strand bone hairpipe chokers run $200-$500 and $200-$300, but those lots carried shell/abalone conchos and earlier trade beads; open-market retail for a plain vintage three-row hairpipe choker of this type is substantially lower, and new choker kits sell for about $20-$26.

$45–$120 fair market

Jewelry

4 objects $240–$620

Beaded medallion necklace with lavender and turquoise concentric rosette

A finely worked concentric rosette in dusty lavender, white and turquoise, hung on twin beaded strands with bone and blue glass spacers.

The rosette is built up in tight concentric appliqué rings with a small star at the centre, alternating dusty mauve-lavender, opaque white, turquoise and pale blue, and edged with a picot border; five beaded strands loop below as fringe. The neck cords are two strands of the same mauve and white seed beads, punctuated by short white bone or hairpipe segments and faceted transparent turquoise-blue glass beads. Tension and row spacing are notably even, and the muted palette is more restrained than the usual primary-colour powwow work — an attractive, well-made piece of vintage beaded jewellery.

Attribution: North American Plains/Plateau beaded jewellery; unmarked, tribal attribution not determinable low confidence
Period: mid-to-late 20th century
Materials: glass seed beads (mauve/lavender, opaque white, turquoise, pale blue), faceted blue glass beads, short bone or hairpipe spacers, cotton or nylon thread, felt or hide rosette backing
Dimensions: rosette approx. 2.75 in. dia.; neck strands approx. 14 in. per side; overall approx. 18 in. with fringe

Condition

Photographs show no bead loss in the rosette and intact fringe strands; the rosette is slightly domed/cupped, and the neck strands show the usual slack of an older strung necklace. Thread strength in the strands is the main risk and cannot be judged from photographs.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Category estimate at the upper end of the roughly $50-$150 auction-estimate band for beaded medallion necklaces, reflecting above-average execution, an unusually attractive palette and good apparent condition.

$70–$180 fair market

Beaded thunderbird rosette medallion necklace with bone hairpipe and cowrie shell drops

A single-strand seed bead necklace with bone hairpipe spacers ending in a round beaded rosette medallion with a stylized thunderbird, hung with five cowrie shell drops.

The medallion is worked in standard flat rosette stitch — concentric circular rows of seed beads sewn to a leather disc — with a stylized frontal thunderbird or spread-wing eagle in black on pale blue at the centre, two small red accent beads, and surrounding bands of tan/bronze and light blue forming a petal or sunburst border. The rim is finished with a picot edging of transparent faceted (cut) beads that give it a glassy sparkle, and five beaded drops fall from the lower edge, each terminating in a small cowrie shell. The neck strands are strung seed beads interspersed with four lengths of commercial bone hairpipe. Photo 111 shows the reverse: a plain tan suede backing disc, undecorated. Cut beads, commercial bone hairpipe and imported cowrie shell are all standard mid- to late-20th-century craft-supply materials, so this is best understood as powwow-era or craft-trade jewellery rather than an early collectible; pieces of this type were made in quantity by Native beadworkers and by hobbyists alike, and are valued for decorative appeal and condition rather than rarity.

Attribution: Unmarked; a widely made powwow / intertribal craft-trade form. Neither maker nor tribe can be determined from the photographs, and the thunderbird motif is not diagnostic of any one people. low confidence
Period: mid to late 20th century
Materials: glass seed beads including transparent faceted (cut) beads, commercial bone hairpipe, cowrie shells (imported marine gastropod), suede/leather backing disc, cotton or nylon thread
Dimensions: rosette approx. 2.25-2.5 in. diameter; approx. 11-13 in. from neck loop to shell tips as laid out; total strand approx. 24-26 in.

Condition

Rosette beadwork looks complete and bright with no visible gaps; edging and all five shell drops appear present. Strands lie loosely and are slightly kinked, which suggests the stringing thread has relaxed with age — a common failure point on strung bead necklaces. The suede back is clean but lightly soiled. Thread strength, whether the strand has been restrung, and any hidden repairs cannot be judged from photographs; handle carefully until the stringing is checked.

Unconfirmed attribution

No restricted materials: the shells are common Indo-Pacific cowries, the hairpipe is commercial cow or buffalo bone, and there are no feathers or protected animal parts. The piece is unmarked, so it must not be marketed as the certified work of a named tribe or Indian artisan — the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 prohibits that claim absent substantiation. Present it as an unmarked powwow-era beaded necklace.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Category estimate anchored to comparable sold and dealer-archived thunderbird rosette necklaces with bone hairpipe (Wandering Bull, WorthPoint archives) and to the general $45-150 retail band for vintage beaded medallion necklaces of this size and materials.

$60–$150 fair market

Beaded rosette ornament with hairpipe, glass crystal and feather-fluff drop

A concentric "target" beaded rosette on white buckskin ties, with a long drop of glass crystals, bone hairpipe and a cluster of dyed feather fluffs.

The rosette is worked in concentric appliqué rows — white ground, green rings, a black spiral centre and a red-orange bar across the face — and edged in navy with a turquoise picot. It is mounted on narrow white commercial-tanned buckskin ties. Beneath it hangs a double drop of red glass tube beads, faceted transparent green glass "crystals" and gilt-brass rounds, spaced by two long bone hairpipes and terminating in a thread-wrapped cluster of red-dyed and white feather fluffs. The combination of commercial buckskin, faceted crystal beads and dyed fluffs reads as mid-to-late 20th century dance or hair regalia rather than an early collected piece.

Attribution: North American Plains/Plateau powwow style; unmarked, tribal attribution not determinable low confidence
Period: mid-to-late 20th century
Materials: glass seed beads, faceted green glass beads, red glass tube beads, gilt-brass beads, sawn bone hairpipe, commercial white-tanned buckskin thong, dyed feather fluffs
Dimensions: rosette approx. 2.25 in. dia.; overall drop approx. 13 in. including feathers; buckskin tie approx. 10 in.

Condition

Beadwork appears intact with no visible bead loss; the buckskin ties are dry, cut and somewhat scuffed at the ends. The feather fluffs are matted and compressed from storage. Thread security, hide flexibility and any odour cannot be judged from photographs.

Feather elements

Contains feather fluffs. They appear to be commercially dyed domestic plumes (turkey/chicken-type marabou), which are generally unrestricted, but species cannot be confirmed from a photograph. Eagle and virtually all native migratory-bird feathers cannot lawfully be sold by non-tribal members under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Identify the plumes in hand before any sale, or remove/retain them.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Category estimate consistent with auction estimates of roughly $50-$150 for beaded medallion necklaces of this type; the feather element restricts the legal market and does not add value.

$60–$150 fair market

Gourd-stitch necklace with three graduated star rosettes

A red-and-white peyote/gourd-stitch beaded rope carrying three graduated white-star rosettes with beaded loop fringe.

The neck rope is worked in gourd (peyote) stitch over a core in a fine diagonal red-and-white pattern, a technique associated with Southern Plains and Oklahoma beadwork and widely used across Indian country from the mid-20th century onward. Three graduated appliqué rosettes hang in a vertical cascade, each with a five-point white star on a red ground picked out with yellow accent beads; the lowest terminates in looped and straight bead fringe. The beads are uniform in size and colour, consistent with modern Czech or Japanese production, and the piece has the crisp look of powwow-circuit craftwork rather than an early collected object.

Attribution: Southern Plains / Oklahoma-style star rosettes and gourd stitch; maker and tribe not determinable from photographs low confidence
Period: mid-to-late 20th century, possibly c. 1960-1990
Materials: uniform glass seed beads (opaque red, white, yellow, black), cotton or nylon thread, felt or hide rosette backing
Dimensions: rope approx. 15 in. per side; rosettes approx. 2.25, 2 and 1.5 in. dia.; overall hanging length approx. 20 in.

Condition

Appears complete and clean, with even tension in the gourd stitch and no visible bead loss or broken rows; a few fringe strands are slightly splayed. Thread condition and any brittleness in the backing cannot be judged from photographs.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Category estimate in line with auction estimates of roughly $50-$150 for comparable beaded medallion necklaces, adjusted for good condition but recent manufacture and no documentation.

$50–$140 fair market

Beaded Accessories & Small Goods

4 objects $620–$1,505

Beaded pictorial panel with bull elk on blue ground

Small fully beaded panel showing a bull elk head against a pale blue sky ground, backed in printed floral cotton and edged in red beads.

The face is worked entirely in glass seed beads in overlay (appliqué/flat) stitch, the background laid in straight horizontal rows of opaque pale blue that read as sky, with a navy-outlined inner frame and a border of red, orange and white-heart triangles. The elk is rendered in brown beads with antlers in metallic gold-finish beads whose plating has largely worn away, exposing the darker glass beneath. The reverse is a printed dark-ground cotton floral calico, and the whole perimeter is finished with a single-bead edge of opaque red, so the piece is a closed one-sided panel rather than an open pouch — it may be the surviving face of a small flat bag or purse, or a panel made for display. Pictorial big-game imagery on a blue sky field is a well-established Columbia Plateau idiom, and the combination of metallic-finish beads with a machine-printed cotton back points to the second quarter of the 20th century rather than the 1800s.

Attribution: Columbia River Plateau, possibly Yakama, Umatilla or Nez Perce; unmarked and unattributed medium confidence
Period: c. 1920-1950
Materials: glass seed beads (opaque pale blue, navy, white, red and orange white-heart, brown), metallic gold-finish beads in the antlers, printed cotton floral backing, cotton thread
Dimensions: approx. 5.5 x 6 in

Condition

Beadwork largely intact with the design fully legible, but there is scattered bead loss through the antlers and the upper body of the elk where bare fabric now shows, plus a few gaps in the blue field and along one lower edge. The metallic beads are tarnished and abraded. The printed cotton back is heavily worn, soiled and fuzzed with a large abraded/lightened area and losses along the seam allowance; loose threads are present. Thread strength, odour, insect activity and whether the panel was cut from a larger object cannot be judged from photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

No feathers, ivory, marine-mammal or other restricted animal material is visible, and nothing suggests a sacred, medicine or funerary object. The piece carries no maker's mark or tribal certification, so the Plateau attribution is a stylistic opinion only; under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 it must not be advertised as the product of a named tribe or of a certified Indian artisan without documentation.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Scaled down from full pictorial Plateau flat bags — a fabric-backed Plateau pictorial bag of about 9.5 x 11 in realized $1,062 at Jeffrey S. Evans in 2024 and dealer/1stDibs Plateau beaded bags average around $1,200 — with a substantial reduction here for the much smaller single beaded face, the bead loss and the worn backing.

$225–$500 fair market

Two-part figural beaded plaque — profile head in warbonnet over graduated sun disknotable

Two pieces of fine pictorial beadwork, apparently a set: a cut-to-shape profile head in a feathered warbonnet layered over a red-orange-yellow sun disk.

Both elements are worked in very fine seed beads (roughly size 13-15) laid in tight contour rows, a "painting with beads" approach that renders shaded modelling in the face, black-tipped white plumes and a trailing warbonnet. The figural element is cut to silhouette, backed, and outlined entirely in gold metallic beads; the companion disk is a plain graduated field shading crimson to orange to yellow, also gold-edged. The romantic warbonneted-chief profile is a popular 20th-century powwow, curio and hobbyist motif rather than a traditional Plateau design, so the piece should be valued for its considerable labour and visual appeal rather than as an ethnographic specimen. Neither element is signed in any visible way.

Attribution: Unmarked; North American, maker and cultural origin not determinable — could be Native-made powwow/curio beadwork or skilled non-Native hobbyist work low confidence
Period: mid-to-late 20th century
Materials: very fine glass seed beads, gold metallic edge beads, cotton or synthetic thread, felt or hide backing (visible white thread on the reverse edge of the disk)
Dimensions: figural element approx. 5 x 5.5 in.; sun disk approx. 4.25 in. dia.

Condition

Beadwork appears essentially complete with no obvious voids or broken rows; a few loose white threads are visible at the edge of the disk and slight cupping of the disk suggests the backing has relaxed. Whether the two elements were originally joined, and the security of the edge beading, require in-hand examination.

Unconfirmed attribution

Unsigned pictorial beadwork in a widely-copied romantic motif. It must not be marketed as Indian-produced without documentation (Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990). All plumes shown are rendered in glass beads — there is no actual feather in this piece.

Valuation basis & 1 source

Category estimate: no directly comparable sold record located, so priced on the labour and quality of fine pictorial beadwork of this scale relative to plain beaded rosettes and medallion necklaces, discounted for being unsigned and undocumented.

Crazy Crow Trading Post — current retail for ready-made imported beaded rosettes, $3.50-$23.50 (craft-grade price floor for comparison)

$175–$450 fair market

Matched pair of pictorially beaded eagle rosettes (hair ties / regalia ornaments)notable

A matched pair of hide-backed beaded rosettes, each worked with a shaded eagle in flight on a cobalt ground, finished with red-white-and-blue beaded fringe and buckskin ties.

Both discs are fully beaded in appliqué / contour stitch: the cobalt background beads run in concentric rows that follow the circular outline, while the eagle's wings and body are worked in rows that follow the shape of the bird, giving the figure a raised, sculpted quality. The eagle is shaded through five or six tones of tan, gold, olive, bronze and pale grey with yellow beak and talons, which takes considerably more skill than a flat two-colour figure. Each rosette carries a rolled red bead edge, a fringe of white loops with twisted red and blue strands, and a pair of soft buckskin thongs threaded through the reverse (photo 107 shows the plain suede backs and the whipstitched edge, confirming the beadwork is sewn rather than glued and that these were made as a wearable pair, not as later decorative mounts). The seed beads are opaque and fairly uniform in the size 12–13 range, consistent with Czech/Bohemian stock from roughly the 1920s onward; combined with the commercially tanned golden buckskin and the patriotic red-white-blue palette, the piece reads as mid-20th-century powwow-era regalia rather than 19th-century work. Pictorial eagle rosettes of this quality are collected on their own merits, and a matched surviving pair is worth meaningfully more than a single orphaned rosette.

Attribution: Unmarked; beadwork technique and eagle-in-flight pictorial subject are consistent with mid-20th-century Columbia River Plateau or northern Plains powwow work. Specific tribal attribution cannot be established from photographs. low confidence
Period: mid-20th century, c. 1940s-1970s
Materials: glass seed beads (opaque cobalt, red, white, yellow, and shaded tan/gold/bronze/grey), commercially tanned buckskin backing and ties, cotton or synthetic sewing thread
Dimensions: each rosette approx. 3 to 3.5 in. diameter; approx. 7-8 in. overall including beaded fringe; buckskin ties approx. 8-10 in.

Condition

Beadwork appears essentially complete on both faces with no obvious missing rows or gaps; colours are strong and unfaded. The fringe strands are tangled and one or two appear shortened or displaced. The buckskin backs (photo 107) show soiling, darkening and edge wear, and the thongs are dry-looking with frayed ends. Thread integrity, hide suppleness, latent bead loss under the fringe, and any odour cannot be judged from photographs; a hide-backed piece of this age should be assumed to have some thread fatigue until examined in hand.

Unconfirmed attribution

The eagles here are beaded images only — there are no feathers, quills, or animal parts of any kind on these pieces, so no wildlife statute is engaged. The pieces are unmarked and carry no maker or tribal documentation, so they must not be advertised as the product of a named tribe or as certified Indian-produced: under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 that assertion is unlawful unless it can be substantiated. Describe as 'attributed, unmarked' pending in-hand examination.

Valuation basis & 3 sources

Anchored to a Soulis Auctions lot of two powwow-era beaded hair ties estimated $100-200 and to retail asking prices of roughly $20-100 for smaller or plainer vintage beaded rosette hair ties; the range is set above those because this is a matched pair with well-shaded pictorial eagles and intact fringe.

$175–$425 fair market

Small beaded flap pouch with cowrie-shell drops

Miniature beaded flap pouch in orange, yellow and sage green with two cowrie shells hung on beaded buckskin loops.

A very small flap-top pouch beaded in horizontal rows of size 11-ish glass seed beads, worked in a stepped/blocky geometric field of bright orange with yellow lightning-like devices, framed by a sage-green border and finished with a rolled yellow beaded edge along the flap and lower seam. Two short loops of larger opaque yellow, orange and red glass beads are strung on buckskin thongs and terminate in cowrie shells (a traded Indian Ocean shell, widely used in mid-century powwow regalia). The beads are very uniform in size and colour and the palette is a saturated post-1950s one, so this reads as mid- to late-20th-century work rather than an antique strike-a-light bag; the rolled-edge beading and buckskin thongs are consistent with Native hand-work but the form is not regionally diagnostic. The bright orange/green combination is not the contour-stitch floral idiom typical of Plateau beadwork, so a regional attribution cannot be supported from photographs.

Attribution: Unattributed; Native-made or Native-style, region undetermined. Found with a Columbia Plateau collection but the style is not diagnostically Plateau. low confidence
Period: mid-to-late 20th century
Materials: glass seed beads, larger opaque glass trade-style beads, cowrie shells, buckskin thong, hide or cloth-backed body
Dimensions: pouch approx. 2 x 1.25 in.; approx. 5 in. overall including the shell drops

Condition

Beadwork appears complete and tight with no obvious bead loss or broken rows in the photographs; edge beading intact; shells uncracked. The interior, the backing material, the thread type, and any odour or soiling cannot be judged from these images, and the pouch was not opened for the photographs.

Unconfirmed attribution

Cowrie is an imported marine gastropod shell and is not a restricted material; no feather, ivory, or marine-mammal content is visible. Tribal origin could not be established from photographs, so under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 this must not be marketed as the product of any named tribe without documentation.

Valuation basis & 2 sources

Small mid-century beaded amulet/medicine pouches of this size and quality trade in the $35-$150 band on eBay and at dealers such as Prairie Edge; the range reflects an undated, unattributed example in good order.

$45–$130 fair market

How this catalogue was made

Identified by technique

Valued from comparables

Stated with confidence levels

Legal & cultural review

Objects needing clearance before sale 2

Attribution stated, not warranted 40

NAGPRA

Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990

Feathers and animal materials

The strongest pieces

Plateau contour-beaded rose flat bag on cornflower-blue groundnotable

Large Plateau contour-beaded floral flat bag, orange lily and maple-leaf designnotable

Small beaded purse with contour-stitched rose and wildflower

Plateau fully-beaded two-sided purse with beaded gusset and beaded handlenotable

Pictorial beaded bag with two elk or deer before a forestnotable

Fully-beaded geometric flat purse with beaded carrying strapnotable

Small Plateau contour-beaded floral bag on bone hairpipe strap

Round beaded rosette purse on white hide with fringe and tie handles

Small zippered beaded purse with star and heart motifs

Contour-beaded floral zippered coin purse with buckskin tassel

Fully beaded Plateau belt / beaded strip with rosettes and hourglass motifsnotable

Matched pair of fully-beaded hide cuffs, cobalt field with crossed-arrow medallions

Matched pair of beaded rosette-and-tab hair drops (oversized earrings)notable

Plateau cornhusk flat bag — checkerboard diamonds one face, banded panels the othernotable

Plateau cornhusk flat bag — triangle rows one face, checkerboard the other

Plateau full-turn twined bucket bag ("sally bag" form) in dyed yarnnotable

Plateau twined wool-yarn flat bag, banded design, hide-bound top

Plateau twined yarn round bag ("sally bag" form) with buckskin rim

Plateau-style twined wool "sally bag" with hide-bound rimnotable

Fully imbricated polychrome Klickitat-type huckleberry basket with cloth-bound rim and cotton tumplinenotable

Fully imbricated coiled cedar-root berry basket with hide rim loopsnotable

Imbricated coiled cedar-root berry basket with looped rim and buckskin ties

Small fully-imbricated coiled cedar-root berry basket, Klickitat typenotable

Polychrome imbricated coiled berry basket with pale buckskin rim binding

Large plain coiled cedar-root gathering / burden basket with hide loops

Coiled cedar-root gathering basket with crocheted yarn rim and handle

Small plain coiled cedar-root basket with cordage loops

Small coiled basket, coarse fibre over bundled foundation — attribution undetermined

Small lidded straw box basket with dyed banding

Beaded-yoke buckskin dress, light blue lane-stitch groundnotable

Beaded hide vest with floral sprays and a beaded yellow birdnotable

Beaded hide vest with pictorial bald eagle and hourglass front panelsnotable

Navy and black plaid wool dance shawl with multicolor hand-knotted yarn fringe

Pendleton "Beaver State" Indian Robe and/or Shawl with original paper hangtag, royal blue diamond-band pattern 2600notable

Pendleton "Beaver State" fringed jacquard robe/shawl, brown ground with green, turquoise, yellow and purple banded geometricnotable

Pendleton Chief Joseph robe, red colourway 64 x 80 in., with original hangtagnotable

Pendleton Chief Joseph fringed shawl, fuchsia colourway, with original hangtag

Pendleton Beaver State fringed shawl, royal blue banded geometric

Pendleton "Beaver State" Robes and Shawls robe, grey ground with central eagle medallion

Pendleton "Beaver State" Robes and Shawls fringed serape-stripe shawl, teal

Pendleton "Beaver State" Robes and Shawls fringed shawl, purple with green stripes

Pendleton "Highland" solid royal blue fringed wool motor robe / throw, with original hangtag

Red wool dance shawl with embroidered blue roses, "Indian Shawl — Ashland, Montana" label

Plaid wool powwow dance shawl with long rayon chainette fringe

Dark green, navy and black tartan wool shawl/throw with applied dark fringe

Wool plaid fringed shawl / lap robe, navy-green-red tartan

Reversible coarse-woven plaid wool throw, rust and cream one face / pale blue and cream the other, macrame-knotted fringe

Three-row bone hairpipe choker

Beaded medallion necklace with lavender and turquoise concentric rosette

Beaded thunderbird rosette medallion necklace with bone hairpipe and cowrie shell drops

Beaded rosette ornament with hairpipe, glass crystal and feather-fluff drop

Gourd-stitch necklace with three graduated star rosettes

Beaded pictorial panel with bull elk on blue ground

Two-part figural beaded plaque — profile head in warbonnet over graduated sun disknotable

Matched pair of pictorially beaded eagle rosettes (hair ties / regalia ornaments)notable

Small beaded flap pouch with cowrie-shell drops