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Pair of Cuffs
Not on view
A male powwow dancer wore these cuffs as part of his regalia. Although the beaded images appear to be nontraditional, they represent ancient Meskwaki concepts. The American eagle on the Great Seal of the United States suggests a Thunderbird, a powerful guardian spirit, and the shiny white and purple glass beads are reminiscent of earlier wampum, or clamshell beads filled with symbolic meaning. The cuffs epitomize the departure from tribal styles seen in the work of innovative twentieth-century Plains artists.
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