Native American Indian artifact from the Fenn collection

Collection: Fenn

Item Number: FCSHIE66

Category: Shield

Region: Plains

Tribe: Comanche

Period: 1850-1875

Materials: Peccary hide, vegetation, buckskin, red paint, rawhide.

Description: A thin rawhide front extends to wrap around the rim where it meets a peccary hide that covers the back. A red line circles the shield at the front rim where the two pieces of hide are strapped together. Dry vegetation provides padding between the front and back. A faint red line forms a half moon on the front and fringe hangs across the bottom half. Two arm straps are tied to the back that facilitate holding the shield.

Dimensions: Diameter 22 inches thickness 1.5 inches

References:

Hanson, James A., Spirits in the Arts: From the Plains and Soutwest Indian Cultures, The Lowell Press, Kansas City, 1994, pp 20