Demolition: Part 2.5- Update

I found out some interesting info on the artifact I uncovered. I contacted my friend Jesse Red Horse, who has extensive knowlege in Native artifacts, bead work and loom work, and is also a Naitive musician (and a vanner to boot), and here is what he told me.

"If all the edges were hemmed I would have said it was a face piece for a knife sheath, but I ruled that out by the pattern line up.

Now to the pattern, I will copy the pic and bring it to my draw station and over lay the lines so I can show you the design we call "Lodge reflection" also known as "Two lodges", normally we see this as Eastern Woodlands bead work and this is the first time I've seen it woven so it threw me."

This made sense to me, as the builder of our house was the son of the owner of the house behind me (which I currently caretake for) back in the late 1800's.

He then said the following :
" The two designs are normally not found together on anything with the exception of a medicine pouch, the two lodges and the Two Coyotes are not normally together.
I have bead works of both but they are separate works.

I'm not 100% sure but at the very end (the non-hemmed side)it looks like the craftswomen was doing or had done a snake design before it was ripped, if indeed it was a snake then you could be looking at a top coat for a medicine bag."

I asked if it was possible that the piece was put there for protection reasons, and if I should return it to under the floor. he answered
" If it were placed there for protection it would have been wrapped in red trade wool, since you found none it was probably a gift to the house itself.

When we would put up a new lodge or tee Pee we would give the Tee Pee a gift that would stay with it for its life time.
I see no problem framing it, but I would suggest that you hang the frame artifact above the door.

I have my medicine arrow mounted above my entry door this tells everyone that enters that they enter with good intentions only.


Now I asked my wife since she is of the Eastern Woodlands Tribes and she had a different impression all together.
When the coyote and lodges show up she thinks it was done by the woman of the house in order to bring peace between the two house holds, there just might be another piece of this under the threshold of the other house in question."

He even sent me the following file...



*click to enlarge and read the fine print*

My most sincere thanks to Jesse Red Horse for his researching this for me, and educating me on it. I just hope someday to be able to find the other half of it....