Featured Beaded Moccasins - possibly Cheyenne

Hello everyone, I bought these nice beaded moccasins and can't find much info online. The Google AI search says they are Native American Beaded Moccasins, with classic Cheyenne motif like thunderbird in traditional colors, but they don't seem to match what I find online for Cheyenne moccasins. They have never been worn and are hand-made. Can anyone help to ID them and maybe help determine their age? @komokwa do you have some words of wisdom? Thank you!

 

Nice Mocs.....
cotton thread so , not that old ,,, and if older than I think...they were kept in a glass showcase.... cuz no dirt or grime of dust layer seems present.

That ain't no thunderbid...

Brain tanned moose....... or deer , most likely, the cotton interior is traditional , and the seed beads are nice , but not old colors.

At the moment I could say native made , but not sure by whom.

 

.. these say Crow...... does the central design look familiar??

 

Thanks, Komo! I think that bead design looks similar. I'll look at some other Crow mocs online to compare.

 

The turquoise seed beads have metallic paint inside. They don't read as antique, but but they could be 70 years old with no problem, or newer made with old materials. The fabric inside looks to be 1930s or even 1920s, but it could have been in someone's stash. I have small pieces from the 30s sitting here now, and sold whole flour sack printed halves on eBoo about a decade ago. Fabric hangs around. I can say whoever did the work knew how to do it properly.

 

The one @komokwa found is at the Denver Art Museum. They date them to mid-20th century. I would not be surprised if yours were more recent than that.

https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/edu/alh/crow-moccasins-and-leggings

Can you tell if the sole is a separate piece, stitched to the upper on all sides? Or are the upper and sole one piece, folded and stitched on one side only?

I think the contour stitching of the beads, following parallel around the toe of the moccasin, is a bit unusual for Crow work. You can see the more typical type of application on the example komo found, with the beads running straight across the upper and a separate border around the edges.

 

The interior fabric looks old to me - but as you say, it could have been lying around for decades. The mocs look to be made by someone who knew what they were doing. Thanks for your insights.

 

Thanks for the link. The sole is a separate piece from the upper, hand-sewn together and is a little thicker. They measure about 9 1/2" long so these could fit a man or woman.

 

This would be consistent with some Crow moccasins. Here is a quote from an article by J. Alden Mason, published in 1926 in The Museum Journal -

"According to tradition, Crow moccasins were originally made of one piece of tanned hide, according to the technique of the woodland tribes, but the modern Crow have evidently been greatly influenced by the other tribes of the prairies in their moccasin technique. The typical Plains moccasin is made in two parts, with a separate rawhide sole and uppers of soft tanned skin. The Crow moccasins illustrated on page 401 are made with a separate sole, but this is of soft tanned elkskin instead of the typical rawhide. The upper part is made of four separate pieces of tanned elkhide, the upper and the flap being each of one piece with a small piece inserted at the back and another small piece for the tongue. Thongs of thin strips of elkskin are attached with which to bind the flaps around the ankle.

Crow moccasins are profusely decorated on the vamp and along the border of the sole with beadwork. The designs employed are most commonly rectilinear and geometric, but of recent years the curvilinear floral designs, which are more typical of the woodland tribes such as the Ojibway and Cree, are becoming increasingly popular among the Crow. Such is the design on the moccasins here figured."

https://www.penn.museum/sites/journ... Crow moccasins,on the moccasins here figured.

When trying to determine the origin of moccasins it is useful to look closely at the basic structure and technique, in addition to any beadwork designs. Designs are more readily transferable, while structure tends to be more conservative and tied to tribal traditions.

You might also look at Blackfoot moccasins for comparative examples, as they often share some features with your pair - soft sole, solid applique beadwork on the uppers, and geometric beadwork designs - although their style of cuffs may differ.

I suspect your moccasins come from the Transmontane region where Plains and Plateau traditions intermingled, and are recent enough that pinpointing a specific tribal affiliation may not be possible.

 

Thank you for all that information. I will look into it.