Native American Territory

On the wall, as you enter the museum doors you will see a muslim pictograph. Probably produced by a Sioux warrior depicting a war against Crow enemies.  The pictograph dates after the Civil War, because of the use of the cotton cloth. 

The Tipi was the Sioux word for dwelling. Tipis were made by women, who sewed together about a dozen brain-tanned buffalo hides in a circular cape. It was the womens work to assemble the tipi and to take it down to be set up at the next camp. Tipis were dragged on travois by horses. A typical tipi was 15 to 18 feet high. There was a firepit in the center of the floor under the smoke hole.  Each family member had an assigned spot.

Moving around the corner you will view the Native American beadwork display. By the mid-nineteenth century, porcupine quillwork was largely replaced by glass beadwork in the Northern Plains. Beads were a staple of the fur trade and the commerce that followed. They were commonly bartered for services and goods by traders, trappers, explorers, soldiers, scientists, artists, hunters, missionaries, and early travelers of every sort. They were regularly used in treaty negotiations and in meetings with tribes, as a show of friendly intentions.

By 1890, it became fashionable to wear large beaded areas on dress yolks, baby carriers, blankets, war shirts and belts. Beads were a sign of personal wealth and plenty. When the Sioux were moved to reservations bead work declined. They made do with very little. Cotton and wool, replaced buckskin. The designs also changed overtime and became a memory of the glory days. Sinew was first used as thread for beadwork. Made from long tendons along the back bones of bison, deer, elk and cattle. When Sinew was no longer available, they use cotton thread, which was less durable. Today, Beadwork is seen on costumes of dancers. A way to stay in touch with proud traditions of the tribes and celebrate their roots.

Please enjoy the museum's collection of beautiful Native American beadwork, including a buckskin Sioux Woman's Dress, with its extensive beadwork probably worn for special occasions. The dress is made from brain-tanned elk or deer hide and has bright red beads in the yoke, dating it to around 1910. Overtime the color of the beads changed and became brighter. The designs of the beadwork changed overtime also. Early beadwork is more geometrical shapes, and later beadwork included more floral designs. This dress would have been worn with a concho belt and it may have been accompanied with fully beaded moccasins and leggings.

The Fur Trade

From 1815 to 1850, the fur trade thrived along the upper Missouri River, transforming the regions economy and people. Tribes like the Sioux, Arikara, and Mandan, became key players, trading Buffalo hides and goods. Forts like Fort Pierre and Fort Union became bustling centers of commerce. The steamboat revolutionized transport, replacing keelboats in 1831. As the fur trade declined, its legacy endured; intermarried communities, altered life ways, and deep, cultural exchange. It also marked the beginning of irreversible change for native societies. Government Indian Policy was aimed at establishing good relationships between traders and Indians. Indian policy was often determined by the Indian agents in favor of the fur traders interest. Fur trade was in declined by 1850. At the end, the tribes could not return to their former state of self-sufficiency due to no buffalo. Their way of life was in transition and changed forever as settlers arrived.