Title
Cherokee Beadwork C.2
Identifier
C.2
Subject
Design and Iconography 2
UUID
35529713-c10e-4038-ab34-7eae1a5d7819
Transcription
[M] Now then, these are photographs of bandolier bags. Bandolier bags are the signature object created by the Southeastern people. And I'm going to show you each of the most important objects in just a bit. But I want to particularly pay attention to bandolier bags. I'd like you to focus your attention to the one on the left, please the red of the two. One of these is red and the other one is blue dark navy blue. It appears black, but it's a very, very dark navy blue. There's a reason for that. We used to make these bandolier bags. We used a very heavy, wonderful wool cloth called Stroud Cloth. And it was produced in Stroud, England. And is to this day produced in Stroud, England - the good stuff is. It was produced in other colours, but the only colours that were available to the Cherokee were red, or scarlet, and dark navy blue. So every piece of Southeastern beadwork that you see from the historic period is beaded on either bright red or dark navy blue. So if you use authentic materials like I do, I use all authentic materials, those are the only two colours you have to work with. It's a little bit limiting, but on the other hand, it's kind of fun.
Okay. Then also on this bag on the left, I focus your attention to the strap. If at the very top of the photograph, the strap is turned so you can see the lining. It’s kind of a brown and beige cotton pattern lining fabric. That part right there would go on the right shoulder of the person who was wearing the bandolier bag. Then the strap that you see on the left would go across their chest. And the strap that you see on their right, of the red bandolier bag, would go across their back. And then the pouch would rest on the opposite hip, on the left hip. So you've got the bandolier bag on the right shoulder coming across the shoulder, across the chest and across their back. And then the pouch rested on their left hip. That's why they're called bandolier bags. Because anything you wear like that is called a bandolier. And you can think of that as a crossbody purse. That's exactly what a bandolier bag was. A predecessor of a crossbody purse. Notice then the square part at the bottom is the pouch. The pouch is folded, made and folded like an envelope. It's made it with a long rectangle and the bottom is folded up, and then that triangular flap is folded down over it. That is another influence that comes out of the Mounds. We know that that's how they constructed the little bags that they used to wear. And then you see that triangular flap of all the parts of a bandolier bag or any other, for that matter, any other piece of Southeastern beadwork, that is probably the most important because that is an influence that came out of the mounds. The bags that we see on the art from the mounds - that were basically pictures or images of people that come out of the mounds - they’re nearly always wearing a bag on the side, on one side, and it has a triangular shape. It has three sides, comes down to a point at the bottom. Now you see that on both of these pouches, you see that triangular flap, that folds down over the pouch. That is on every single Southeastern bandolier bag I've ever seen. You can instantly recognise the Southeastern bandolier bag by the triangular flap.
Now, bandolier bags were made by Native Americans, or by the Indigenous people, all over North America. They all have their own styles. They all have, but they were all bandolier bags. They all had some sort of a square pouch. But the only people who had this construction influence of the triangular flap, the three sided flap that comes down to a point, were the descendants of the mound builders. So the mound builders gave us this construction influence. Sso that again, is an example of merging ancient tradition and culture with what was then state of the art materials.
Okay. Then also on this bag on the left, I focus your attention to the strap. If at the very top of the photograph, the strap is turned so you can see the lining. It’s kind of a brown and beige cotton pattern lining fabric. That part right there would go on the right shoulder of the person who was wearing the bandolier bag. Then the strap that you see on the left would go across their chest. And the strap that you see on their right, of the red bandolier bag, would go across their back. And then the pouch would rest on the opposite hip, on the left hip. So you've got the bandolier bag on the right shoulder coming across the shoulder, across the chest and across their back. And then the pouch rested on their left hip. That's why they're called bandolier bags. Because anything you wear like that is called a bandolier. And you can think of that as a crossbody purse. That's exactly what a bandolier bag was. A predecessor of a crossbody purse. Notice then the square part at the bottom is the pouch. The pouch is folded, made and folded like an envelope. It's made it with a long rectangle and the bottom is folded up, and then that triangular flap is folded down over it. That is another influence that comes out of the Mounds. We know that that's how they constructed the little bags that they used to wear. And then you see that triangular flap of all the parts of a bandolier bag or any other, for that matter, any other piece of Southeastern beadwork, that is probably the most important because that is an influence that came out of the mounds. The bags that we see on the art from the mounds - that were basically pictures or images of people that come out of the mounds - they’re nearly always wearing a bag on the side, on one side, and it has a triangular shape. It has three sides, comes down to a point at the bottom. Now you see that on both of these pouches, you see that triangular flap, that folds down over the pouch. That is on every single Southeastern bandolier bag I've ever seen. You can instantly recognise the Southeastern bandolier bag by the triangular flap.
Now, bandolier bags were made by Native Americans, or by the Indigenous people, all over North America. They all have their own styles. They all have, but they were all bandolier bags. They all had some sort of a square pouch. But the only people who had this construction influence of the triangular flap, the three sided flap that comes down to a point, were the descendants of the mound builders. So the mound builders gave us this construction influence. Sso that again, is an example of merging ancient tradition and culture with what was then state of the art materials.
Original Format
Video
Duration
4:23 minutes