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This shoulder-strap pouch is called a bandolier bag. It was fashioned after a type of pouch carried
by British soldiers. Woodland Indian men wore bandolier bags as objects of prestige. Sometimes they wore
more than one at a time. This kind of bag was so valuable that the
Woodlands people
could trade one bag to the neighboring
Dakota
people for a pony.
Long before Europeans came to North America
Ojibwe
women designed necklaces using beads made from
wood, shells or other materials. The Ojibwe word for beads - manidoominensag - means "berries of the
Creator." On clothing, women made designs by sewing on dyed porcupine quills. European glass beads,
introduced in the 17th century, gradually replaced quillwork on bags like this one. |
