Hide, glass and brass beads, dyed porcupine quills, cotton and polyester fabric, sinewexpand_more
The Jane and James Emison Endowment for Native American Artexpand_more 2022.2.1
This cape has been in the family of the maker for more than a century and has been worn and taken care of by four generations of Lakota women. In the late 19th or early 20th Century Lakota artist Winyan Hcaka (The True Woman) created this extraordinary cape for her daughter, Mary Julia. The cape, with abundant floral designs in a dazzling array of colors, is made to be worn on very special occasions. Constructed from a supple brain tanned hide with beads sewn onto the work with sinew, the cape adorns the wearer in a particular form of Lakota figurative art made by women, floral designs. The artist then incorporates abstract lane-stitch beadwork at the border of the cape. She then finishes the piece by sewing a thin piece of hide as the base for fringe, meticulously wrapping more than one hundred red porcupine quilled tassels.
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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