Comments on: Object of the Month: June 2010: Yakama Dress

By: Susan Kennedy Zeller, Associate Curator Native American Art

Susan Kennedy Zeller, Associate Curator Native American Art — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 16:33:07 +0000

Thanks for asking Nicolas. We are positive this dress is not from a burial. Such dresses are still made today and the Plateau people do indeed consider them special, beautiful and valuable as an item that signifies their identity. This type of dress is not something a woman would wear everyday so it would be doubtful if she owned too many. Native Americans have always been traders between themselves so trading or selling to a non_Native person would have been an acceptable thing to do in historical times as it is today with a flourishing art market! Reasons for the owner to give or sell this dress could have varied from merely wanting or needing the money to gifting someone as a way of saying thank you for a special service rendered by the trader.

By: Nicholas

Nicholas — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 16:17:37 +0000

Do you really know the truth about original owner? Maybe if was found on burial or never was a value because it’s beauty was nothing to it’s creator just because she owned too many or this was way too long ago? Or price is a billion which would buy much more than just a dress…

By: Adelia Gregory

Adelia Gregory — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:08:33 +0000

I had a wonderful conversation with a couple of folks yesterday about the Yakama dress during the afternoon Spotlight Talk. It was a very small group of two men, one a Brooklynite by way of the Ukraine and a gentleman from western Missouri who was visiting the Brooklyn Museum for the first time. They both seemed to enjoy getting to know this particular object from our collection better. They asked lots of questions and were particularly taken with a question that you raised during one of our earlier conversations…”Why would the owner of an object that had such personal value be willing to sell it to a collector?” Thanks for suggesting this wonderful object. I’ve also enjoyed getting to know it and its story better.

By: Linda Holley

Linda Holley — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:10:52 +0000

Definitely intend to be there. Is there an opening show before the Feb 18 start? I wrote the book Tipis-Tepees-Teepees: History and Design of the Cloth Tipi…by Linda A. Holley. I have been particularly interested in historical material and still learning more since the book was publised. My main area is the construction and use of the old tipis.

By: Susan Kennedy Zeller

Susan Kennedy Zeller — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:18:29 +0000

Tipi: Heritage of the Great Plains exhibition will open Feb 18 and run until May 15. Museum is open Tuesday through Sundays all the time. Do call or email before you come so we can meet.

By: Linda Holley

Linda Holley — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:26:47 +0000

I will since I was contacted a while ago on some of the material that will be in the exhibition. The Cheyenne material is of great interet to me. I intend to be there as soon as I get more information…when is the opening date? Know is was to have opened this last fall and glad to see it is on again.

By: Susan Kennedy Zeller

Susan Kennedy Zeller — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:21:20 +0000

Thanks , Linda.As a ‘tipi’ person you might be interested in knowing that the Brooklyn Museum will be having an exhibition, “Tipi: Heritage of the Great Plains” in Spring 2011. Come and visit with us! Love to see you.

By: Linda Holley

Linda Holley — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:18:46 +0000

The dress is not bleached by the tanning process, Brain tanning just brings out the white of the natural hide. Usually the hide is lightly smoked after brain tanning. But cleaning by the owners with chalk balls or by other processes later takes out the dirt for display.