Cellphone case: Buffalo Medicine
name: label: Donor Name
content: Jennie Kappenman
notes: label: Notes
content: Mobile phone/cellphone case printed with contemporary ledger art design, including a centrally placed stylized illustration of a buffalo/bison in black, red and golden yellow, framed in black with a printed black foreground with circular cutouts exposing the ledger text beneath. Made from matte black thermoplastic polymer with a maple wood overlay, An impressed pattern is visible around the sides of the case. Portals created in the case provide access to phone buttons and plugs.
label: Notes
content: Artist statement: “The buffalo [bison] was the staff of life for most Plains Indian Nations. Today the buffalo is still a central part of life, from food to ceremony. Originally drawn on the ledger paper used across much of John's work, this particular piece pays tribute to the power and sacrifice that the buffalo continues to give. The bold design incorporates important symbols from Blackfeet art to depict rich concepts in a lively, graphic way. The lifeline, or sacred breath of the buffalo, is represented here with an arrow, and the circles along the top and bottom borders depict stars. The cross symbol at the top of the design represents the Morning Star, which plays an important role in creation and ceremony among Plains Indian Nations." (https://johnisaiahpepion.com/products/roam-phone-case). For more information see also "Piikani Symbology: Morning Star & Stars" by John Pepion, Feb. 8, 2018, https://johnisaiahpepion.com/blogs/news/test-blog : "Much of Piikani symbology includes the imagery of the Morning star, as well as other stars and constellations. In Piikani origin stories the Moon married the Sun, and the son they had was the Morning Star. The Morning Star is often found on Piikani painted medicine lodges, depicted as a cross looking symbol on the back. You'll see numerous circles on Piikani painted medicine lodges as well, which represent stars. Similar circles can be found on tipi flaps, representing constellations and star bunches. When these circles are found at the bottom of painted medicine lodges, they represent falling stars."
label: Record Last Modified
content: 11 Jul 2023
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Browning (near), Blackfoot Reservation, Montana, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Blackfoot (Niitsitapi, Siksikaitsitapi), Piegan (Piikani)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 2090185
label: USNM Number
content: E437468-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Cellphone case
physicalDescription: label: Length
content: 7.52 cm
label: Height
content: 14.61 cm