An Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) beaded sash
Woven of green, yellow, brown, red and blue yarns with interwoven white beads.
length 78in, width 2 1/2in
Footnotes:
Collector's Notes
Affixed with two paper tags inscribed: Iroquois (Canada) (possibly Cayuga) woven yarn sash with bead interwoven. Worn by man as girdle or a shoulder piece over white shirt. Very old specimin, no longer made by present generation & (over) / Note diagonal weave as occasionally seen on wampum belts. 5/31/35 F. Speck; and: Rec 5/29/35 Canadian Iroquois - probably Cayuga - yarn sash with white beads woven in in diagonal plaiting this corresponds in material and color to the wrappings on the small Pottawattomie medicine bags of Dan Morgan) Buffalo hair?

Also with a typed note reading:

July 12th 1940

This very rare Iroquois sash is the only one RHR has ever seen in this unusual technique. It is undoubtably very very old and the yarn other than the dark navy blue suggests buffalo hair and is comparable with the old buffalo hair medicine bags in RHR collection from Winnebago, Mennominee, etc both in the old dyes and the buffalo hair. The navy blue yarn appears to be something else and vegetable fibre, possibly milkweed or the like.

Also compare with RHR wonderful Mohawk (hair ornament) quill worked piece from Mary Williams (Mr. Deer said 250 years old but doubtless anyway 150 years old as Iroquois quill work said to have ended about 1810). The latter appears to be quilled on buffalo hide and is sinew sewed and wrapped yarn apparently buffalo hair; marvelous old dyes, -red, white, black, yellow, a marvelous blue and yarn a cerreis(?) - compare with ceinture flechee dyes and (over) / (cont.) rose dyes buffalo hair (?) Mohawk (?) Oswego N.Y. archaic pony bead garters (almost identical with Oseola's (Seminole Chief) in Chicago Historical Museum) in RHR Iroquois collection.

Light may also be thrown on old Ceinture Flechee dyes by comparison with very old Iroquois dye specimens such as above in various museums particularly in East and Eastern Canada.

RHR

Also compare above with RHR Oneida burden strap (3/20/25) as to red yarn and possibility of later being buffalo hair.

Good condition overall with some very minor fraying to the ends of the fringe commensurate with age. A handful of scattered pulled threads.