Old West & Native American Auction
Lot 1075:
Description
Native American umbilical cord fetish bag, likely from a Plains tribe, designed to hold the newborn’s dried umbilical cord stump for good luck and protection. The shape, which resembles a miniature bellows or a stylized pouch, is also strongly evocative of a turtle’s carapace, a common and important form for these powerful objects. The construction is stitched leather or tanned hide, with one side completely covered in dense, striking seed beadwork in traditional colors of black, red, and amber/light brown, forming a bold ovular pattern. The opposite side is the natural hide, secured with decorative bone or quill pieces alternating with red trade beads. A thin leather thong is attached for hanging. This artifact appears to date from the late 19th or early 20th century. Its condition reflects its age and use; the leather is dry and scuffed with surface dirt, and while the beads show light wear, the intricate pattern remains fully intact and visually striking. H 6″, W 2.5″, D 1.5″. From the Native American display in Donley’s Wild West Town.
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