Dig It - 2/17/25
Hey Fellow Seeker, come on in and have a seat by the fire. It is starting to get chilly out thar, winter is closing in, I guess. Gonna be a cold one, they say. I can already feel my bones a-creaking. Well Pilgrims, this here tobacco bag is from the "Indian Wars" period on the Plains, which is roughly from the 1860s to the 1870s. During that time, most of the U.S. troops were occupied with the Civil War, and the Indians of the Plains were enjoying a period of relative freedom. At the end of the Civil War in 1865, the U.S. government had a large army, which they sent out on the Plains to civilize the Tribes by force. This was a sad and misguided mission.
Now tobacco bags are just that, a bag to hold tobacco, which, besides being enjoyable for recreational use, was a sacred plant used to solemnize any occasion such as treaties, prayers, and the like. This tobacco bag was probably made by a Lakota, possibly Arapaho, beadworker. It was collected by the Honorable Edward N. Stebbins (1835 - 1903). It has horse tracks up the throat of the bag on one side and morning stars up the throat on the other side. The horse tracks probably represent captured horses as well as wealth. The morning star represents that which is sacred and good. It is a truly beautiful bag from the height of Plains Indian culture. Now I’m a gonna put my feet up by the fire. Shut the door on your way out. -Lonesome.
