Apache Mescalero Hide Beaded Bag

Early/Mid 20th Century

6″ H + 3.75″ H + Beaded Fringe x 4.75″ W

Has 2 Side Hide Handles Beaded with Multi-Color Seed Beads on Both Sides

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.