Sioux Beaded Small Purse

ca. 1930 - 1950s

3.25" H x 6.375" L x 2.75" W + 5.75" L Looped Handle

Hand Crafted from Hide Leather with a Fabric Inside and a Red Zipper Closure with Glass Seed Beads with a Red Rose on one Side and a Geometric Design on the Opposite Side and a Hide Handle

In Very Good Condition

Sioux (Lakota/Dakota) beaded small purses or bags are traditional Native American artifacts, primarily from the Plains region, known for their intricate glass beadwork on hide leather. Sioux beadwork became prominent in the mid-19th century after the introduction of European glass seed beads through trade. These small bags, often called "strike-a-light" bags (originally for holding flint and steel for fire-making), later held personal items like ration cards, face paint, tobacco, or medicine during the reservation era (post-1870s/1880s).