Cheyenne Beaded Bags. The earliest known written historical record of the Cheyenne comes from the mid-17th century, when a group of Cheyenne visited the French Fort Crevecoeur, near present-day Peoria, Illinois. The Cheyenne at this time lived between the Mississippi River and Mille Lacs Lake. Their economy was based on the collection of wild rice and hunting, especially of bison, which lived in the prairies 70–80 miles west of the Cheyenne villages. Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne
Below are some examples of Cheyenne beaded bags including a Cheyenne beaded tobacco pouch and a Northern Cheyenne beaded hide pipe bag.
A CHEYENNE BEADED TOBACCO POUCH Sinew-sewn on soft ochre-stained hide, edge-beaded split tabs at the opening, alternating banded designs across the body and up the side.
Sold for US$ 2,167 (£ 1,678) inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2019
A CHEYENNE BEADED AND FRINGED HIDE BELT POUCH composed of a rectangular pouch, overlaid with a long U-shaped flap, sinew sewn and lane-stitched in blue, yellow, pink, and translucent green beads against a white beaded ground, decorated on the flap with a solid verticle band flanked by a pair of stepped triangles, a band of serrated motifs and fringe below, suspended on a pair of narrow hide straps, accented with metal cones, inscribed 1137
Sold for USD 3,824 at Christie’s in 2004
The lot features a fully top beaded strike-a-lite bag from the Northern Cheyenne Native American Indians of the 19th Century. The bag shows a harness saddle leather remnant construction being covered on the flap and front with 19th Century typical geometric Cheyenne beadwork of glass trade seed beads. The bag is both sinew and trade thread sewn. The beads, all being early original examples, show a chalk white background with border in royal blue and pattern in red white hearts and royal blue with fancy beaded border of the same at the outside edges. The bag has a traditional pattern showing a slightly curved outer edge with flat bottom edge being covered in two rows of rolled tin jingle cones and top curved flap. The top strap also shows a row of rolled tin jingle cones along with an old engraved brass clothing button from the same period. The bag shows the original Indian tanned hide belt strap along with braided Indian tanned hide fringe at the top and bottom corners all being accented by two rolled tin jingle cones each. At the center back of the flap shows the original draw string of hide showing two larger glass trade beads in a cobalt and red coloring. Inside the bag shows a forged wrought iron striker, thought to be of the same 1800’s age along with a piece of flint.
Sold for $600 at North American Auction Company in 2020
Pipe Bag ca. 1890
Reference: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Northern Cheyenne Beaded and Fringed Pictorial Hide Pipe Bag, Wyoming hide, glass beadwork, mineral pigments, porcupine quillwork. 47 in. length with fringe by width 5 1/8 in.
Sold for 43,750 USD at Sotheby’s in 2015
Native American Indian (Plains/Cheyenne) beaded and fringed dispatch case/bag. Cotton thread and sinew sewn, commercial hard boot leather, glass beads, and original twisted ochre fringe
Sold for $3,700 at A.M. Auction & Estate Sales in 2020
