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War shirt

Niimíipuu / Nez Perce, Native American

Not on view

Composed of two hides, one for the torso and the other for the sleeves, this shirt became a canvas for a female artist to decorate. The spots, made of blue trade pigment, evoke a predator and thus convey symbolic power to the shirt’s owner. The artist embellished the shirt with fringe, trade beads, and embroidered panels of quillwork on horsehair.

War shirt, Tanned leather, pigment, horsehair, porcupine quills, dye, glass beads, and wool cloth, Niimíipuu / Nez Perce, Native American

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War shirt, Tanned leather, pigment, horsehair, porcupine quills, dye, glass beads, and wool cloth, Niimíipuu / Nez Perce, Native American
War shirt, Tanned leather, pigment, horsehair, porcupine quills, dye, glass beads, and wool cloth, Niimíipuu / Nez Perce, Native American
War shirt, Tanned leather, pigment, horsehair, porcupine quills, dye, glass beads, and wool cloth, Niimíipuu / Nez Perce, Native American
War shirt, Tanned leather, pigment, horsehair, porcupine quills, dye, glass beads, and wool cloth, Niimíipuu / Nez Perce, Native American
War shirt, Tanned leather, pigment, horsehair, porcupine quills, dye, glass beads, and wool cloth, Niimíipuu / Nez Perce, Native American

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