Split horn headdress
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.Horned bonnets were worn by members of the Bull society, which honored the buffalo spirits in its ceremonies. A warrior had to receive spiritual instruction from a dream or a mystical experience in order to acquire the right to make such a headdress. Songs related to the privileges of wearing the bonnet were conveyed in the same manner.
Artwork Details
- Title: Split horn headdress
- Artist: Unrecorded Blackfeet artist
- Date: ca. 1870
- Geography: United States, Montana
- Culture: Blackfeet
- Medium: Skin cap, ermine fur, wood, split hawk feathers, porcupine quills, trade cloth, glass beads, horsehair, silk ribbon
- Dimensions: H. 34 1/2 × W. 8 1/2 in. (87.6 × 21.6 cm)
- Classification: Hide-Costumes
- Credit Line: Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection, Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY (T0634)
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing