Museums are collections of objects that tell a story about something. At the Plains Indian Museum, the objects tell the story of the Plains Indian people. But sometimes the materials the objects are made out of are hard to conserve. Hunter Old Elk, the curatorial assistant at the Plains Indian Museum, said there’s one object […]
Treasures from Our West Native American toy doll and horse The first dolls made by Lakota and other Plains Indian tribes were simple figures of clay or rawhide cutouts stuffed with buffalo hair or grass. They were typically made by grandparents and rarely had much detail so features could be left to a child’s imagination. […]
This is a Northern Plains Blackfeet Horse Mask from our Paul Dyck Plains Indian Buffalo Culture Collection. It will be traveling to the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, along with several other museum objects for the exhibition “The Plains Indians.” The Horse Mask is made out of a tanned buffalo hide with brass tacks, wood, trade ribbons, trade […]
Treasures from Our WestNorthern Plains buffalo hide lodge The buffalo hide lodge or tipi is one of the most practical shelters ever designed—easy to erect and take down, and resistant to wind and rain. In summer, the sides of the tipi can be rolled up for air circulation; in winter, a tipi liner keeps out […]