Tipi bags were traditionally made to both store items within the tipi or teepee and as decorative items. Many Tipi bags were decorated with elaborate designs.
Below are some examples of Tipi bags including a Cheyenne beaded bag and a bag made during the reservation period.
Cheyenne beaded tipi bag
Box beading along the flap and side seams, the central panel showing a pair of horses and winged diamonds, tin cone suspensions. length 10 1/2in, width 14 1/2in
Sold for US$ 3,750 at Bonhams in 2016
Native American tipi bag accented with horizontal quilled bands and beaded borders. Tin conical fringed rawhide ties.
Sold for $1,400 at Witherell’s in 2020
Tipi bag ca. 1890 Lakota/ Teton Sioux, Native American
This bag was made during the early reservation period, after the United States government outlawed the Lakota’s annual Sundance and instituted Fourth of July celebrations in its place. During this time, the American flag and interpretations of the Great Seal of the United States became popular beadwork motifs. The artist may have made the container as a special gift. Earlier, in nomadic times, this same type of object transported belongings from one camp to the next and also ornamented the inside of the tipi.
Reference: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A PAIR OF SIOUX BEADED HIDE TIPI BAGS thread sewn in pink, red, green and two shades of blue against a white lazy-stitched glass beadwork ground, with complex geometric motifs, trimmed with tin cone pendants inserted with yellow-dyed horsehair.
Sold for 9,000 USD at Sotheby’s in 2005
