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Paiute Ghost Dance Drum c. 1880-1890 RARE

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:6,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Paiute Ghost Dance Drum c. 1880-1890 RARE
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This is an extremely rare and unique late-19th Century Paiute Native American Indian drum from the Ghost Dance movement. The shield is circa 1880-1890 originating from the Paiute Indians of Nevada and shows a Great American Bison Buffalo hide which has been wetted and stretched over a bent wood frame. The entire piece shows a polychrome mineral pigment painted scene having excellent documented Ghost Dance symbols being hand drawn and painted such as the waterbird, four-point morning star, half moon, circles and a turtle all in mineral pigment dyes of blue, black and yellow. There are only approximately 3 or 4 known authentic Ghost Dance relics in any museum or private collections that are attributed to the Paiute. James Mooney in his 1896 book on the Ghost Dance documented the painted turtle as a very early ghost dance symbol rarely seen on later shirts, drums and shields. The Paiute in Nevada started the Ghost Dance movement through the visions of a tribal medicine man named Wovoka. He dreamed of the dead Indians returning to life, buffalo herds returning and the complete demise of the white man, where Native tribes would one day return to their traditional lifestyles away from the harsh reservations. Wovoka taught the dance and the symbols to the Sioux, Arapaho and Cheyenne. It quickly spread across the Plains and Plateau regions and by the middle of 1890, dozens of tribes across the West had embraced the movement and were using the symbols and dancing. Wovoka's name is painted on the bottom front and on the inside of the hide underneath the gripping area "Jack Wilson drum" is painted in very small letters. Jack Wilson was Wovoka's white or English name. It likely belonged to one of his followers or fellow Paiute tribesmen who used it in the early days of the dance or painted the names in tribute. Provenance: Ex-collection of Arnold Marcus Chernoff and Ben Thompson. The drum was said to be purchased by Arnold Marcus Chernoff in the early 1960’s and was part of an exhibit that he had in an early 1970’s National Rifle Association Antique Weapons Exhibition in which he won first prize. Chernoff later sold the drum in the early 1980’s to well-known Midwest collector and past president of the Central States Archaeological Society, Ben Thompson. Ben Thompson had one of the largest collections of historic period beadwork, weapons and other accouterments in the country. Thompson then sold the drum to Tom Hardy of Indian in the early 2000’s (all provenance was acquired via Tom Hardy). This shield is from the same collection as the Arapaho Ghost Dance Drum sold in our 6/3/2017 sale for $7,749.00, the Sioux Ghost Dance Holy Bear Shield from our 8/25/2018 sale for $5,781.00, the Sioux Ghost Dance Fast Thunder piece from our 4/29/2017 sale for $5,535.00 and the Arapaho Ghost Dance Shield from our 7/21/2018 sale for $4,551.00 (all shown with premiums). Authentic Ghost Dance Relics are exceedingly rare and desirable with this shield truly being one of the finest we have offered for sale. Measures overall 19 inches in diameter by 2 ¾ inches wide.