$16,500.00
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ca. 1876
26" H x 5.25" W Including Fringe
Hand Crafted from Hide Leather and Glass Seed Beads with Custer Related Items. Custer Battle of Little Bighorn
Loria & Ray Davis Indian Artifacts Collection
In Very Good Condition
Early Crow beaded pipe bags are highly regarded historical artifacts from the Crow (Apsáalooke) people, a Plains Indian tribe known for intricate beadwork.
9/27/19
Dear Matt,
As per your request for additional information concerting the collection items which are now in your care, I will try to fill in some blanks.
My mother recieved the Montanna Trade itemsfrom her Great (great) uncle. His name was Ed Barris. He was a Clerk in a large trading post in the town of Junction MT. Junction flooded & was never rebuilt. It was near the curent town of Custer. He died & left these items to my mother. He was the one who identified the vest as owned by "Curley" the scout of General Custer. He also identified to my mother that the one shirt was owned by Cutster's friend & scout. (the name is in one of the posckets). [BUCKSKIN COAT Owned by General Custer's good friend Enoch Griffin, Indian Trader & Scout. Barras Col'n N. 48].
My mother at one time was in communication with the remaining family of Curley. She had sent a picture of the vest to them, & they had agreed that this was Curley's & they asked if she would repatriate it to them. she declined, but was in communication with them over a period of years. She had letter (s) from them stating the above, but when she moved, we could not find the letters.
My dad died November. of 2017, & shortly thereafter mom went to a memory care unit in E. Wenatchee.
Terry R. Davis
These bags, often called tobacco or pipe bags, were traditionally used by men to carry sacred smoking pipes and tobacco. Crafted primarily by women, they feature native-tanned hide (such as deer, elk, or buffalo) with elaborate glass seed bead designs, long fringe, and sometimes porcupine quillwork or rawhide elements. Early examples date from the mid-to-late 19th century (around 1870s–1890s), reflecting the transition to colorful Venetian trade beads after the 1840s.
Crow beadwork often includes geometric patterns like bars, crosses, blocks, or stripes in vibrant colors (blues, reds, yellows, whites) on a light background, with beaded panels at the bottom, along edges, or up the sides. The bags are typically narrow (around 5–6 inches wide) with extended fringe for length (up to 2–3 feet total). They symbolize prestige and were personal items of importance.
