Headdress Buffalo Hide And Horns
date: label: Accession Date
content: 21 Oct 1881
name: label: Collector
content: George Catlin
label: Donor Name
content: Mrs. Joseph Harrison Jr.
notes: label: Notes
content: From card: "Cap and trailer one piece of buffalo hide, hair outside; buffalo horns (pair) tied to cap by skin thongs passing through holes near base of horns; some red cloth about horn on left side. Note: On cataloging (Feb. 11, 1948) this specimen had word "CATLIN" printed inside cap in black in. - J.C. Ewers. Specimen stamped in several places on under side - "Poinson 1880" (some question as to last number; indistinct) - J.C. Ewers."
label: Notes
content: Buffalo Hide with fur and horns, maroon wool felt, red pigment. The headdress is constructed of buffalo hide and covers the top of the head and continues down the back of the neck in the shape of a "V". The hide was stiched with leather or sinew cords on each side at about the temple to achieve the curve for the head. The fur appears to have been cut on the top while the fur on the nape of the neck is long. Two buffalo horns are attached to each side on the top using leather straps inserted through holes in the hide and base of the horns. A band of maroon and white wool is tied around the base of the PL horn. The base of both horns and the interior of the hide is decorated with red pigment. There are slits cut into the hide along the forehead with a leather cord woven through and 2 holes on each side about ear height, both presumably to insert bands to attach the headdress to the wearer. On the PL side there is also a tied bow of leather also presumably to aid in wearing. In several spots there are small tufts of fur on the interior.
label: Notes
content: This headdress has been attributed as possibly Sioux, and buffalo headdresses are known among the Sioux. George Catlin depicts Mandan buffalo masks/headdresses in several artworks, including # 440 Buffalo Dance, Mandan, 1835-1837 https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/buffalo-dance-mandan-3962 , # 505 Bull Dance, Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony, 1832 https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/bull-dance-mandan-o-kee-pa-ceremony-3975 , and Cartoon Collection, Cart. No. 171 Buffalo Dance (Mandan) https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.50390.html . Most of the ones in his artwork seem to be full face masks like E8431.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 23 Mar 2023
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Plains (Northern), United States / Canada, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Sioux (Oceti Sakowin) (?)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 010638
label: USNM Number
content: E386558-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Headdress
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 39 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 45 cm
label: Height - Object
content: 31 cm