Buckskin and buffalo. The artistry of the Plains Indians - Hardcover

TAYLOR, Colin F.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1840650303 ISBN 13: 9781840650303

Publisher: Salamander Books, 1998

Synopsis

Illustrates some of the more exquisite items of the Plains Indians culture in the last century which were derived from buffalo or deer. These range from women s dresses, children's clothes & men's ceremonial or war shirts to shields, buffalo robes & blankets. Each piece has its own aesthetic; each one has variety, pattern & vitality & shows the particular traits of the tribe which produced it. Each item is examined in terms of decoration & style of adornment -- highlighting the use of materials ranging from porcupine quills & seed beads to eagle, hawk or crow feathers -- & the use of particular colors. Reveals the more arcane details of the items illustrated.

About this title

Review:

In the mid-1800s, the Great Plains were home to the Blackfeet, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Sioux, Crow, Hidasta, Comanche, and Kiowa Indians. Those tribes were nomadic hunters of elk, pronghorn, and buffalo, and it was on the buffalo that their life and culture relied most heavily. In the early 1870s, with the arrival of the railroads, the herds were rapidly decimated by professional buffalo hunters. That brought an end to the Plains Indians' traditional way of life, eventually forcing them onto reservations. Fortunately, not all their material culture was destroyed, for many of their buckskin and buffalo hide objects survive today in collections of both European and U.S. museums. This volume provides a beautiful as well as respectful tribute, as it displays an extraordinary cultural legacy in the artistry of the objects these Indians crafted for both ceremonial and everyday use. A sophisticated text accompanies the 130 full-color photos. --Fred Egloff from Booklist

About this edition

• Publisher: Salamander Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1840650303
• ISBN 13: 9781840650303
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128