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19TH CENTURY RAWHIDE TOBACCO CANTEEN –
PROBABLY SOUTHWEST TRIBES: One of those small
day-to-day items that don’t appear to have survived in
any great numbers, this is a very attractive Southwest
tribal Rawhide Tobacco Canteen.
Measuring 2 ¾” wide and 3 ¾” tall, including the spout,
this diminutive container is formed of two pieces of
rawhide which is assembled with fine sinew stitches
around the circumference. Both sides of the canteen are
decorated with matching designs impressed into the
rawhide. On what I assume is the front side, the two
arcs at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions enclose figure
shapes which are reminiscent of those figures found in
Apache baskets and Navajo artwork. Given the reverence
accorded tobacco by many of the Native Americans, that
these spiritual figures are incorporated into the design
is not surprising. The canteen is closed with a wooden
plug attached to the body of the canteen with a rawhide
thong. All of the stitching is intact and the surface
of the rawhide is fully intact, showing no excessive
wear and no damage.
This is a wonderful little piece, finally made and well
preserved through the years, which would display well
with other tribal artifacts from the historic
southwest. (0431) $650
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