Sash

Title

Sash

Identifier

ABDUA:5515

Description

A narrow beaded sash in red, with two thin strips of blue between the two rows of edge beads on the front.
The centre of the sash has a pattern of spaced sets of four beads on a red background, all laid with the perforation parallel to the length of the sash. The two beads nearest the sides of the sash are laid with a single stitch, the two in the centre are both on the same thread, without a stich holding the thread down in the middle. The three threads run horizontally on the underside between each set.
A continuous row of white beads with the perforation parallel to the length of the sash forms a border between the red and blue sections. The stitches from these beads are visible but not very obvious on the underside of the sash.
On the outer edge of the blue strip runs a double row of white beads with the perforation perpendicular to the length of the sash. This edging continues along the rounded end of the sash.
The sash appears to be unfinished, as [nearly] half the length consists of only the red cloth. The blue strip and beading end about halfway. On one side the blue cloth and beading end at the same point, on the other side the beading extend about 9 beads further, and the blue strip a few cm beyond that. On the ‘shorter’ side it appears as if the blue strip is not entirely set on top of the red base, but this is only due too the way the end of the blue strip has been sewn into the red base.
A leather strap is attached to the beaded end of the sash, The strap is pulled through the blue and red cloth in a lark head’s hitch/knot – possibly through a slit in the strap itself. A second strap is attached near the centre of the sash, through a hole in the red cloth just to the side of one of the 4-bead sets and about 10 cm away from where the beading ends. It’s knotted in a simple overhand knot on the underside directly against the cloth, and has the same knot near the end of the strap.
A few cm away from the strap towards the unfinished end, the red cloth base appears to have been extended, with a seam discernible on the underside. The blue cloth is not interrupted this way. The seam is hardly visible on the beaded face of the sash.
Just beyond this point towards the unbeaded end, the red fabric is quite worn, and the weave is visible.

Date

1700-1800

Creator

Creek Cherokee

Physical Dimensions

Overall length: 1075 mm Unbeaded section length: 460mm
Width: 46mm (beaded section) and 33mm (unbeaded section)
Leather piece in centre: 80mm

Materials

wool, glass beads, leather, hide

Location

North America, United States of America, South East

URL

https://calm.abdn.ac.uk/museums/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=ABDUA%3a5515&pos=1