Lakota beaded waistcoats/vests

[grahamew]

Has anybody seen any evidence for the use of beaded waistcoats among the Lakota prior to the late 1880s? BY beaded waistcoat, I mean the geometric or figurative representation type. I'm aware that Metis influenced floral pattern vests existed earlier.

This is supposed to have been taken in New York in 1886-7; it's Ellie Irving, wife of Bronco Bill Irving, with her son, Bernie, prior to heading off to London with Cody's Wild West Show. When I look at the cast assembled in London for Elliott and Fry's photos, I can only see some worn by children, including John Nelson's son. I can't see any of the Fort Sheridan prisoners wearing one (nor in Spencer's studio photos), nor in the 1891 group photographed in Germany -


- unless the man to the right (our right) of Black Heart is wearing one.

I think I can see seven or so in this 1893 photo from Chicago, though they're partially obscured by breastplates and other ornaments:


A few years later, many of the men in Kasebier's portraits wear them

[gerhard]

Hi grahamew,



There are a number of Lakota vests that are completely embroidered with glass beads. It started around 1880 when the Lakota Sioux practiced this handicraft and initially only geometric patterns were used. Around 1890 people began to add figurative representations (people and animals) to supplement them. There gave also vests that only show figures. This was a trademark among the Lakota and it stood out from all other Plains Tribes and madness knew no bounds and around 1900 even complete vests and trousers were embroidered with glass beads (seed beads of size 12/0). There are also pictures by children who were sent to boarding schools with such splendid clothes, but that didn't go down well and they were plugged in uniform. What happened to all the precious clothing, I have to fit, I could imagine they were burned like in the Indian wars.

Attach a picture of Andrew Knife (Mila Yatapika), Oglala wearing a fully embroidered vest and matching trousers. His wife's adoptive mother made this outfit for him in 21 months and she was considered the best pearl embroiderer in the Oglala. The photograph comes from the German Frederick Weygold, who emigrated from Stuttgart to Philadelphia in 1908 and lived in Lousville until his death (1941). In 1909, Weygold toured the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on behalf of the Hamburg Museum of Ethnology to collect, draw and photograph ethnographic objects. 150 extraordinary photos were taken of the former Oglala. Enclosed one or the other photo.


Greetings Gerhard




Andrew Knife 1909 with Vest and Trousers.


Vest Lakota, 1880


Lakota Vests, 1890 to 1910 with figurative representations.


Vests, 1890, with Animal picture.

Literature:

Weidner, Len_"American Plains Indian Vests," Prehistoric Antiquities & Archaeological News Quarterly, vol. XII, no. 3, Summer 1992



Vest 1890, with flags symbols.