Minneapolis Institute of Art

Pair of Woman's Leggings

Tsistsistas (Cheyenne) artist

Date

c. 1895

Medium

Hide, beads, pigment

Culture

Tsistsistas (Cheyenne)

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Among the Tsistsistas, women traditionally worked hides for clothing and other necessities. Designs were then added by members of exclusive women's societies who regulated their meanings and use. The beaded lines here, for example, traditionally represented the war honors of the wearer or her family, a motif repeated often on men's shirts and leggings. However, by the time these leggings were created the symbolism of the lines was likely used more for their decorative effect. The motif blends tradition and art, balancing the geometric symmetry of the beading with the contrasting colors and repeating borders of the lane-stitched design. Tsistsistas (Cheyenne), United States, Americas

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