Lakota/Teton Sioux dress made by Ah-ho-appa, daughter of Spotted Tail, ca. 1870. In the Met Museum collections
Vertical lanes of beadwork, in place of the typical horizontal configuration, give this dress its distinctive character. The U-shaped motif at the lower center represents Turtle, a symbol of power relating to women’s health. Like most bead workers in the mid-nineteenth century, this maker favored tiny glass Venetian seed beads over the larger pony beads popular in earlier periods. Today, women wear elaborately beaded dresses reminiscent of this one for the Women’s Traditional Dance, one of several categories in powwow competitions.
Geography: Possibly made in North Dakota, United States; Possibly made in South Dakota, United States
Culture: Lakota/ Teton Sioux, Native American
Medium: Tanned leather and glass beads
