Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-01-10
FLATHEAD INDIAN
BELLE COLLECTS
SOUVENIRS; MANY ARE FROM
ANCIENT TIMES
BY CORA f. VAN DEUsEN

One of the most interesting charac-
tiers of the Flathead or Selfish Indians
is Mrs. Isaac Tillier, known to her peO-
pie as Cecilia.
Her life has been spent collecting and
preserving articles used by her people
in the days when they were forced to
rely upon their own skill and the raw ma
terial at hand for clothing n other
articles. These articles, many of them,
were made years ago by Indians living
in their native state and have a history.
Perhaps the article that attracts most
attention when her relics are exhibited is
a dress worn by a Nez Perez woman $50
years ago. The dress Is of buckskin, soft
as velvet, and is decorated with buckskin
fringe n bead work. The cut Of 1T fol-
lows the popular straight lines of today
and is not unlike the modern dress.
Another article of primitive make that
Is in close competition with the dress
IN age, II not in beauty, is a knife that
shows a great deal of wear and was once
used by the patient Indian woman in
scraping the buffalo skins after the war
riors had returned from a successful
hunt.
Wampum, that commodity Of exchange
between the Indians traditional with the
early-day treaties, yet which one seldom
sees, is among her treasured relics.
Her beadwOrk lone forms an exhibit
worth seeing. She has numerous pieces
Of solid bead work, the result OF her own
patience and skill. They are both beauti-
full and artistic. Beaded vests, beaded
belts, beaded bags, moccasins and cos
TUNES are among her collection as we'll
as many pieces Of excellent bead work
with which she decorates her horse on
mOmentous occasions.
One OF the articles which shows how
the Indians YIcnd fho pnotorio1 Of hond
for necessities is a basket made of the
four fleet feet of an elk. This unique
basket they found useful for many things,
Many baskets made of grass form a part
of her collection.
Travelling bags are made Of COW hide,
envelope shape, with the closing flap
held in place by buckskin string. These
are of two sizes and were used by the
Indians when j%ourneying to distant parts
to carry the finery along which they al
ways took when gathering for ceremonials
and the annual pow WOW. Thus the war
rior had something that he could tie on
his horse which was quite as good as the
modern suitcase for carrying his eagle
feather bonnet and buckskin shirt.
Furs We're Useful
Valuable furs have an important place
in the collection since they found quite
as much use for this luxury as does their
la tAAA v
The trappings for her saddle horse are
both beautiful and complete and afford
a splendid example Of the pride the In
dams once took in their ponies regalia,
which II anything, was more important
than their wi attire.
Cecilia's personal trappings for her w
private saddle horse are OF extreme beauty
and O for her many years ago the title
of THE Belle Of the Flathead."
Has Other Kelices
AS a collector OF Indian relics she is
doing a great work for her people in pre-
serving for them and the public, the
things that make up the personal and
household articles Of a primitive people.
Very few of even the old-time indians
have any articles Of primitive make.
Her collection OF Indian relics and
finery has taken prizes at Spokane, Pen
dleton, Kalispell. Missoula and many
other places in the northwest. They are
valued at several thousand dollars.
Cecilia is a Nez Perez, adopted by mar
riage into the Flathead tribe. She has
a magnetic personality, a soft musical
voice, and a friendly not always
found among her people. She has a cabin
home on the banks OF Mission creek In
Flathead valley. where the sparkling wa
ter flows onward past her door and the
wild cherry n e~lderberry, cottonwood
and wild rose make for her a beautiful
garden.