Lakota, Sioux, "4th of July Give Away" Horse Mask

Description
A fully beaded horse mask constructed out of native-tanned buffalo, tailored to cover the head, neck and ears of a horse. The face mask is decorated with sinew-sewn seed beads where a series of red crosses (possibly stars) alternate with American flags. The neck has of two sets of three blue and green triangle-diamond-triangle motifs, bisected along the mane with a red lane. (A minor piece of stabilizing hide was added to the joint between the base of the head and the top of the neck in order to support the weight of the bead work.) Attached to the left ear of the horse mask is an old collection tag which reads, “Schondorf / Collection / Sioux / B42965”.

Published: Thomas Cleary, ed, “An Important Pictorial Horse Mask,” Thomas Cleary LLC (Summer 2020): 22-27.

Steven L. Grafe, “Artistic and Historical Significance,” Native Arts Magazine (August/September 2020): 134-135.

Exhibited: Seth Hopkins, “By Her Hand”. Cartersville, GA: Booth Western Art Museum, on display August 20 – November 27, 2016;

Temporary loan. Cartersville, GA: Booth Western Art Museum, on display until March 2020.

Featured: The mask appears in a photograph, taken c.1905, during a July 4th “give away” celebration by Pine Ridge Superintendent

John Brennan. The photograph belongs South Dakota State Historical Society (Cat. #Brennan Album, #69).