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SKU: 200120-54

Umatilla / Yakima Beaded Pictorial Flat bag

$1,850.00

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ca 1920

12 1/2" + 4" fringe x 10 1/2"

A handsome pictorial with Eagle holding Shield Flag with Crossed American flags; floral detail above.  Native tanned hide; interior lined with cloth; hide strap handles. 

Light Wear; Overall in Very Good Condition

Collected by Robert Nemetz (1905-2005) Superintendent of Anacortes Oil Refineries.  Born Iowa - moved to South Dakota near Sioux Reservation, then to Anacortes in 1937 and traveled a lot to Yakima and picked the local flea markets, garage sales, pawn shops and antique stores. Had life-long interest in Native arts. 

 

Plateau flat beaded bags occasionally featured patriotic motifs incorporating the American flag (often stylized as stars and stripes) combined with a shield element, particularly in the early to mid-20th century (around 1900s–1940s). These designs emerged during a period when pictorial and figural beadwork became more diverse, influenced by Euro-American imagery from magazines, popular media, and national symbols—reflecting cultural adaptation, pride, or perhaps responses to U.S. government interactions and citizenship (e.g., post-1924 Indian Citizenship Act).Common patriotic combinations include:
  • An eagle (a frequent symbol of power and vision in Native art) with outstretched wings, clutching or framed by crossed American flags, and often bearing a shield on its chest (mimicking the U.S. Great Seal eagle, where the eagle holds an olive branch and arrows over a shield).
  • A central or dominant American flag motif (red/white stripes with a blue field of stars, sometimes with red stars or simplified stars) paired with shield-like elements, geometric borders, or background landscapes (e.g., green "plateau/mesa" shapes).
  • Occasionally, the bag shape itself might be eccentric like a shield or heart, though most remained rectangular/rounded flats; the motif was beaded fully on one or both sides, often with vibrant reds, blues, whites, and yellows.
These "shield flag" or patriotic designs weren't as ubiquitous as florals, horses, or geometrics but appear in collectible examples from tribes like Yakama, Nez Perce, or broader Plateau groups. They symbolized a blend of Indigenous artistry with external influences, sometimes created for personal use, gifting, or as expressions of identity during times of change.

Condition: Very Good

Tribe: Umatilla - Yakima

Year Range: 1900 - 1925

Region: Plateau

Dimensions: 12.5 in4 in10.5 in

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