Beaded Neckband, Great Plains Native American Possibly Osage, Great Plains 1850 – 1900 Seed Beads Woven on Horsehair, Leather Thong, and Pony Beads Dimensions (flat): 31.5 × 1 in. / 80 × 2.5 cm Dimensions on custom display stand: 12 × 5 × 5.5 in. / 30.5 × 13 × 14 cm Published in Horsehair Bridles, A Unique American Folk Art, Vol 3. by Ned and Jody Martin What makes this piece so rare is that horsehair forms the warp and weft of the neckband. The length of the horsehair enabled the weaving of items up to fourteen inches long. It is due to the use of horsehair and careful storage that this choker has survived. “Horsehair was employed in bias-woven beaded ornaments – technically a form of finger-weaving or braiding, in which the warp and weft elements alternate, with the warp becoming the weft and the weft taking the place of the warp; these are threaded through the glass trade beads, knotting them together.” From Horsehair Bridles, A Unique American Folk Art, Vol 3, by Ned and Jody Martin. $3200
