HOME

• Oćhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux) artist
• 1890
• Hide, beads, metal, sequins, feathers, thread, and sinew
• Native Arts acquisition funds, 1936.127

The Lakȟóta of the Great Plains region use a lot of beads to decorate their dresses. By the 1870s, the entire bodice was decorated with beads. Often, the background color of the bodice was blue, signifying a lake important in Lakȟóta history. However, this dress is unique in that it has a white bodice and incorporates abstract symbols of the morning star. In addition to the beads, eagle and mallard plumes are attached to the back of the dress. These feathers indicate that as a child, the wearer had been the recipient of a "Hunka" ceremony. The Hunka ceremony is an adoption ceremony where one person is adopted by another or into a family. Those honored this way often wore some token of the ceremony throughout their lives.