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Crow Buffalo Horn Headdress War Bonnet 1890-1900

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:200.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 2,000.00 USD
Crow Buffalo Horn Headdress War Bonnet 1890-1900
This is a very unique, rare Buffalo Horn headdress war bonnet with beadwork from the Crow Native American Indians of Montana from the late 19th Century to early 20th Century. The war bonnet shows a heavy felt-like cap with trade thread sewn with a beaded brow strap, parfleche polychrome painted medallions at the temples, mountain goat fringe at the front and back with red stroud lining, and parfleche rawhide medallions holding Buffalo Bison horns, all showing a red ocher mineral pigment coloring. The top of the cap held American Bald Eagle and Hawk feathers with red stroud ties, a true attribution to the piece’s authentic early age (the feathers were removed to follow all laws). The back shows a strip of hide with hoof glue that is black and human hair-like. The headdress is likely an old Crow family piece that originates from the 19th Century and was altered/ repaired over the years. Each parfleche medallion at the temples is polychrome painted with target-like centric design and holds porcupine quilled flat wide fringe with rolled tin jingle dangle cones and red dyed horsehair tufts. The beaded brow band has some bead loss. Provenance: From a historic Eastern Montana American Indian Collection, where the piece was found to be an authentic original, one of the finest collections of American Indian weaponry and antiquities in Montana. The piece has a collection museum tag showing a round stamped out piece of leather marked 4313 WK. The headdress is 14”W from horn to horn by 11”D by 16”H (all approximations).