Bag

1850–1900

Bag, 1850–1900. Plains or Northeastern Woodlands, Nehiyawak (Cree) or Metis People. Beadwork on cloth; overall: 30.5 x 20.4 cm (12 x 8 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Anonymous gift in memory of Sarah Ann Morrison 1956.831 This colorful bag is beaded on both sides. On one side, the flowers resemble the sun, which native peoples of the Woodlands regard as the supreme spirit; the visual parallel is probably intentional. On the other side, a different plant symmetrically spreads its leaves and flowers across a dark, contrasting ground.