NORTHERN PLAINS INDIAN LEG BAG – A NICE EXAMPLE OF
A FAIRLY SCARCE STYLE OF BAG THAT WAS COMMON TO MANY
TIPIS AND LODGES: This is a native made antique
Northern Plains Leg Bag, a very utilitarian container
which was common to many of the native peoples across
North America. Further evidence that the native people
made good use of most, if not all, of the animals they
hunted, this bag is fashioned from the hide of four
lower legs which were tanned with the hair on.
From the color and pattern of the hair and the size and
shape of the dew claws, I am of the opinion that the
legs are that of the pronghorn antelope, one of the
iconic animals of the northern and southern plains. The
legs were skinned out by cutting down the front of the
leg, rather than the normal incision made down the back
of the leg – a method which retained the natural
decoration of the dew claws in pairs. Two leg hides
were sewn together to form the front and back panels of
the bag, and then a gusset of what appears to be the
very thin skin of the stomach paunch was sewn in one
piece down both sides and across the bottom of the bag
to give it some internal volume. This same thin skin
was used to form a collar around the top of the bag.
The interior of the bag is fully lined with old cotton
calico cloth.
The body of the bag
measures 7 ¼” high, and 4 ¼” wide. The gusset is 1 ¾”
wide and the collar is 2” high. The front of the collar
appears to have been painted red with an earth or powder
paint, with only traces remaining.
The seams between the tanned leg fur and the parchment
like gusset and collar were decorated with fringe sewn
into the seam, but much of the fringe has worn away with
just enough remaining to illustrate how it was done.
The gusset on the left side of the bag has split as can
be seen in the photographs below. This area is confined
to an area approximately 2” square and most of the
parchment remains attached to the edges. This area
could be restored by inserting a thin piece of buckskin
into the open area and then gluing the edges of the
parchment back into place. Otherwise, the right side
and bottom of the gusset and the collar are intact and
complete.
Through the years I have seen specimens of these Leg
Bags made from elk, buffalo, deer, and caribou,
originating from all over North America. As common as
these Leg Bags must have been during their period of
use, and as universal as the idea appears to have been
with various tribes, surviving specimens are not
common. This is a good example of one of the standard
furnishings of many tipis in the 19TH
Century.
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