Apache Beaded Hide Bag

Early/Mid 20th Century

7″ H + 5″ L Beaded Fringe x 4.5″ W

Only Beaded on One Side with Multi Colored Seed Beads and with Pink and Blue Beaded Fringe and Hide Handle

Excellent Condition with Typical Aged Wear

Apache beaded hide bags are traditional Native American artifacts created by various Apache tribes, including the Mescalero, Chiricahua, and Western Apache. These bags, often made from brain-tanned buckskin or elk hide, served practical purposes such as carrying tobacco, fire-starting tools (as “strike-a-light” bags), ammunition, or medicines. They are renowned for their intricate beadwork, which features vibrant glass seed beads in colors like red, white, blue, yellow, green, and black, sewn with sinew or thread. Designs typically include geometric patternssuch as stripes, triangles, stars, crosses, or sun motifsalong with fringe, tin cones, and sometimes brass buttons for added decoration and sound. These items date primarily from the mid- to late 19th century, reflecting a blend of pre-contact techniques and European trade goods like glass beads.

Mid/Late 19th Century

8.75″ L + 5″ Fringe x 6.25″ W + 3″ H Handle

Beaded on Both Sides of the Bag with Multi Colored Seed Beads and Beaded Fringe with Hide Handles Comes with an original Tag with a signature of Rachel

Excellent Condition with Typical Aged Wear

Apache beaded hide bags are traditional Native American artifacts created by various Apache tribes, including the Mescalero, Chiricahua, and Western Apache. These bags, often made from brain-tanned buckskin or elk hide, served practical purposes such as carrying tobacco, fire-starting tools (as “strike-a-light” bags), ammunition, or medicines. They are renowned for their intricate beadwork, which features vibrant glass seed beads in colors like red, white, blue, yellow, green, and black, sewn with sinew or thread. Designs typically include geometric patternssuch as stripes, triangles, stars, crosses, or sun motifsalong with fringe, tin cones, and sometimes brass buttons for added decoration and sound. These items date primarily from the mid- to late 19th century, reflecting a blend of pre-contact techniques and European trade goods like glass beads.