48090

Sioux Pipe Bowl and Stem

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:750.00 USD Estimated At:3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Sioux Pipe Bowl and Stem
<B>Sioux Pipe Bowl and Stem Wrapped with Copper Telegraph Wire</B></I><BR>Circa 1880<BR>Length 28 1/2 in. overall<BR><BR>The ash wood stem is wrapped with copper wire along half its length. A row of brass upholstery tacks decorates the flat section. The stem is accompanied by a catlinite "T" shaped bowl artfully carved with circular decorative bands.<BR>Brass wire was a coveted item and Indian traders made an effort to have quantities available. Brass wire was even included in annuity payments to the tribes. It was used to make earrings, bracelets, and armbands for both men and women. Tomahawk handles and pipestems were occasionally wrapped with brass wire for decorative effect.<BR>Copper, however, was used for telegraph wire and it is interesting to speculate on the source of wire for this pipestem.<BR><BR>Provenance<BR>James Hart. Acquisition, Inc., Maple Shade, New Jersey.<BR><BR>Reference<BR>Hanson, James. <I>Metal Weapons, Tools, and Ornaments of the Teton Dakota Indians.</B></I> University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1975, pp. 98-100.<BR><BR> <BR><BR><B>Important not