Unknown artist, Great Lake and Central Woodland Native American style; Ojibwe

Bandolier bags, modeled on European shot pouches, were worn by Native men on formal or festive occasions. Also called friendship bags, they often were made as gifts to other groups. This exuberant piece from the upper Midwest features highly stylized vegetal and floral motifs expertly crafted in glass beads imported from Italy or Czechoslovakia. Floral beadwork motifs were introduced into the Native American design vocabulary by French nuns who established themselves in Quebec in the early 17th century and moved westward.