Dig It - 3/19/24
Hello Fellow Seekers. Today, we are going to look at a Meskwaki or “People of the Red Earth” charm pouch. The Meskwaki are a branch of the Sac & Fox People, who once lived along the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan in what is now Illinois. Allied with the French, they were an important part of the western fur trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. With the westward expansion of both Native Americans and Colonial Americans in the Late 18th and Early 19th centuries, the Meskwaki were pushed west of the Mississippi. In 1857, they established a Settlement near Tama, Iowa.
This pouch measures 4” x 3” and is loom beaded. It dates to the late 19th century, probably in the 1880s. On one side is the Underwater Panther whose long tail makes the whirlpools in rivers and lakes. He dates back to prehistoric times as images of him are found on engraved shells from Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma. The Underwater Panther is a Manitou, or earth spirit. Earth has to be balanced out by a celestial or sky spirit. I believe the other side of the bag represents a star or some sort of celestial/sky spirit, perhaps an abstract thunderbird? Duality - Earth and sky - opposites in balance?
Seekers, I think that’s more than enough for today. The pouch is for sale. It may be small, but it is one hell of a piece of art. - Lonesome
