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Beads!!!!! => Bead Embroidery and Bead Weaving => Topic started by: Leroy Anderson on May 09, 2016, 09:22:31 AM
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I have attached photos of my reproduction of a Mescalero Apache pouch. The original was made in the late 1800's. This pouch is beaded with 11/0 seed beads and has hand rolled aged tin cones. The pouch is made of brain tanned deer leather and is held together with thongs like the original pouch. I made my pouch the same size as the original. The first photo is of my reproduction and the last photo is the original pouch. I completed the beadwork pattern in my reproduction. This is the beadwork that I like to make, it is a challenge to attempt to make a reproduction of old style beadwork. I can show the back side of the original pouch and my reproduction if anyone wants to see them.
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I put on the earlier photo of my reproduction on so it is not correct. This photo is the one with hand rolled and aged tin cones. Sometimes I make more than one reproduction to improve the last version.
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It's a very nice piece. I would imagine it makes a lovely sound when moved. Were pouches like this used for ceremony, or as gifts?
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Reproductions are very important in a lot of areas and the age of your piece is not in doubt so it is an honest reproduction. It is a very pleasing piece , very nice balance and I think you did it justice. Excellent work both now and then.
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LOVE it! :icon_sunny:
As a beadworker myself I can certainly appreciate the time and effort you put into this.
As an Anthropologist who is 1/16 Native, I can also appreciate you taking the time to save and reproduce pieces of Native culture so it isn't lost. Thank you for doing this. Your efforts help conserve Native culture more than you realize.
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Thanks for all of the comments.
If you look close on the second reproduction photo you can see some color inside the tin cones. The original tin cones were made of Prince Albert tobacco cans or coffee cans and they were rolled so the painted side was inside the cones and the tin side to the outside. There was no need to remove the paint and I have attempted to make my tin cones in a similar fashion.
I am not sure what the use was for these pouches. If we are lucky the information on an old item (such as the pouch) includes the date collected, tribe it was collected from and not much if anything else. Very seldom if at all was the ethnographic information about the item written down. My belief is that something that took this much effort to make was special and taken care of.
I have followed the Red Road for over thirty years and attempt to do the best I can in living my life.
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An amazingly accurate reproduction. Truly impressive.
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Very nice work. Both are beautiful but you certainly made some nice improvements on the second one.