Sioux Plains Tab Pipe Bag

ca. 1870

28" Including fringe x 7.625" W

Hand Crafted from Hide, Glass Seed Beads and Metal Cones with Animal Hair Tassels

Loria & Ray Davis Indian Artifacts Collection

In Very Good Condition

Sioux Plains pipe bags are a significant cultural item, used to store sacred pipes and tobacco. They are heavily adorned with symbolic beadwork or quillwork and are made from brain-tanned deer or buffalo hide. The designs often reflect an individual's identity or band affiliation and sometimes feature an added "tab" or flat quilled/beaded slat with fringe at the bottom.

The specific shape and decoration of the tab often indicate band affiliation or individual identity. Triangular tabs often represent "cloud designs," symbolizing spirits that provide strength, protection, or healing. Some tabs feature specific imagery like the "cocoon," which represents the spirit Yumni (the whirlwind) and signifies physical and spiritual transformation. Tabs and their associated quillwork often incorporate the square cross, representing the four directions central to Lakota cosmology. Red-dyed quillwork slats or tabs can represent flowing blood from combat. These elaborate additions transformed the bag into a piece of formal regalia that communicated a man's status and achievements within the community. The pipe bag and its tabs were designed to house the chanunpa (sacred pipe). The pipe itself represents the universe: the bowl signifies the people, the stem represents all living things, and the smoke carries prayers to the spiritual realm. Because of this, the bag and its ornate features are treated with extreme reverence, often held in the left hand closer to the heart.