Identifier: northamerican11wiss (find matches)
Title: North American Indians of the Plains
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Wissler, Clark, 1870-1947
Subjects: Indians of North America
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: IMLS / LSTA / METRO

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plant or animal form, the realistic drawing was the original form from which it was derived by aprocess of conventionalization. When we attempt to apply this principle to the art of the Dakota and the Arapaho, for instance, we find in some cases the same geometrical figure used by both tribes but to symbolize entirely different objects. We are, therefore, forced to assume that there is no necessary connection between the life history of a decorative design and the object it symbolizes. Plains art clearly shows that often along with a style of designs, goe> also a style or mode of interpretation. Since this interpretation is a reading-in on the part of those having such a mode,any vague resemblance will suffice. DKCOKA I l\ I \l( I 131 This is nicely illustrated in the curious U-shaped figure upon the beaded yokes of many womans dresses. Some Teton-Dakota women once said this had alwaysbeen known to them as representing a turtles head andleu- as he emerged tVm the lake (the beaded yoke).
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Fig. 48. Painted Designs on a Womans Robe. Dakot; Yet, somewhat similar figures occur on the dresses of other tribes from whom no such symbolism has been reported. This might be explained as brought about by the other tribes borrowing the pattern from the Teton; but when many of these garments are examined, 132 INDIAN- 01 I Hi. PLAINS we observe that often the U-shaped turn is made to carry the beaded border around the hairy tail of the dec) left, or sewed, upon the skin from which the garment was made. The tail tnit naturally falls just below the yoke because the dresses arc fashioned by joining the tail cuds of two skins by a yoke, or neckpiece. Bence, it seems more probable that the pattern was developed as a mere matter of technique and that later on the Teton read into it the symbolism of the turtle, because of some fancied resemblance to that animal and because of some special appropriates. The preceding remarks apply exclusively to objects in which the motive was chiefly decorative. There wa

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