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Source Description
The shape of this bag indicates it was made to hold tobacco and one of the pipes that played a paramount role in the lives of Plains nations. Smoking is a means of prayer—the smoke carries thanks and entreaties into the other-than-human realm—and pipes were lit to seek protection and guidance on new endeavors, during alliance and dispute negotiations, to mark life’s milestones, and in many other situations. By the late 1800s, when this example was made, such bags were a standard element of prestigious men’s formal dress regalia.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
117311
label
Pipe or Tobacco Bag
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
117311
contentType
object
title
Pipe or Tobacco Bag
description
The shape of this bag indicates it was made to hold tobacco and one of the pipes that played a paramount role in the lives of Plains nations. Smoking is a means of prayer—the smoke carries thanks and entreaties into the other-than-human realm—and pipes were lit to seek protection and guidance on new endeavors, during alliance and dispute negotiations, to mark life’s milestones, and in many other situations. By the late 1800s, when this example was made, such bags were a standard element of prestigious men’s formal dress regalia.
date
c. 1870
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80011787
genreSpecific
Leather
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 71.1 x 12.7 cm (28 x 5 in.)
cul
Native North America, Plains, Tsitsistas (Cheyenne)
accession
1937.871
Source extras
tec
Native-tanned hide, yellow pigment, glass beads, red trade cloth, tin cones, sinew thread
tombstone
Pipe or Tobacco Bag, c. 1870. Native North America, Plains, Tsitsistas (Cheyenne). Native-tanned hide, yellow pigment, glass beads, red trade cloth, tin cones, sinew thread; overall: 71.1 x 12.7 cm (28 x 5 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Amelia Elizabeth White, 1937.871
collection
T - Native North American
didYouKnow
Glass and metal beads were imported from Europe.
creditline
Gift of Amelia Elizabeth White
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:05:15.950000
sourceId
117311
dept
Textiles
coll
T - Native North American
med
Native-tanned hide, yellow pigment, glass beads, red trade cloth, tin cones, sinew thread
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
732400fd37cb0eaa