This one-of-a-kind pictographic robe offers a rare insight into Upper Missouri River tribal life. 

The Lakota men often rode their horses bareback, but sometimes used a pad saddle consisting of a pillow-like pad stuffed with buffalo wool. 

Parfleche refers to painted rawhide. It comes from the French language, meaning "hard flesh". 

Both sides are shown of the following pipe/tobacco bags.

Owns a Yellow Shield was a leader of the Crow Owners society and later of the White Horse Owners. 

This 4-inch ceremonial vessel, made between 1430 to 1660, features Inca men beside four stalks of teosinte bowing under its heavy grain heads. 

A woman's pride and joy was her elk horn scraper, called "wahintke" by the Lakota.

Woptuha, also known as Horn Chips, was the medicine man who interpreted the visions of Crazy Horse and made his protection items.

This grizzly-attacking spear holds feathers, a partial grizzly hide and one blue bead for the Thunder Being. 

Split horn bonnets were "worn only by the bravest of the brave; by the most extraordinary men in the nation", as stated by artist George Catlin who visited tribes in 1834.

The White Horse Owners Society consisted of distinguished warriors who were superior hunters.

Red Horse purchased this bundle and was apprenticed to guide tipi construction. 

The smoked, beaded leggings are thick, made from a bull elk to be worn by Horn Chips in the winter. 

Native Americans stored their buckskin clothing in tipi bags.  They are also called "possible" bags, since such containers could store any possible item.

Chief Takes the Gun was a Hunkpapa Sioux living in the area of Fort Yates in North Dakota. 

These stone hammers were for pounding dried chokecherries and jerky into a powder, to which is added suet for making pemmican. 

The collection of bows indicate that Lakota used a short bow which shot a faster arrow at close range than one that was long. 

A grizzly claw necklace was considered the greatest sign of prowess demonstrating courage. 

This fire starting set belonged to the wife of Owns a Yellow Shield. 

Tall Mandan was the principle person to bring harmony to the Brule' Sioux after Crow Dog shot and killed Chief Spotted Tail.

This calumet pipe was smoked to ratify various treaties entered into by this Sioux band, including the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 and 1868, held in Wyoming Territory. 

During World War II, the Nazi government raided and took museum collections so Hitler could have the largest Indian collection in the world.  After the war, some museums had artifacts returned.

The societies of the Sioux are many such as the badger, owl, crow, brave heart and white horse.  These did most of the governing of the tribe. 

It was common to honor the four directions by placing a quilled or beaded rosette to the four compass points on a tipi cover. 

Spotted Tail was chief of the Brule Sioux, whose people now live on the Rosebud reservation. 

This fully-beaded work and medicine bag belonged to Two Elk from Pine Ridge on the Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.

This signed pipe of Sitting Bull was obtained through Bone Club (Tomahawk), who lived near Wakpala on the Standing Rock Reservation…

A Lakota woman wore tools needed daily inside beaded or porcupine-quilled leather cases attached to her belt. 

The following are pictures of horse quillwork.

On March 14, 1887, a sandstone slab with a message was found by an old Indian…

This medicine rattle was formed from two halves of rawhide, which were wetted and filled with sand to shape it round.

Fighting long ago, before the advent of guns, was typically conducted with bow and arrow or a lance.

Plains Indians believed hair had power.  Hair was added to many items such as lances, war clubs and war shirts.

The pairs of moccasins below are both of men and women. The moccasins of Sioux women have an added cuff to the top to hide the ankles and there is a long buckskin thong to wrap the cuff…

This treaty or calumet pipe from the Mandan tribe was collected by Prince Maximilian of Wied in 1832.

The first owner of the shield pictured below was that of Sits Down Talking, a Miniconjou Sioux.

This Grass Flattening Wand, called "Owanka Onesto" in Lakota, was used to solemnize ground for the Thunder Beings before a celebration.

The Lakota said that when an elk dies, in time everything decays, but the ivories of an elk can still be found intact.

This 20-inch quirt is made from an extra-long top tine of an elk.

This bag was used to carry eating utensils when visiting friends.

This bow and quiver set is made with summer deer hair and is sinew-sewn.

Crow Dog came to notoriety when he shot and killed the Brule chief, Spotted Tail.   

A very personal item is a breechcloth, also called breechclout or loincloth.  These Crazy Horse artifacts were collected by Medicine Journey…

   Blue and red wool broadcloth became popular as a blanket for Lakota Sioux in the 1870s, replacing buffalo robes when herd numbers dwindled.

This Lakota cosmetic bag belonged to Owns a Yellow Shield, a Miniconju Sioux.

Chief Swift Bear was head of the Corn Band of the Brule or Burnt Thigh Sioux.

The carved pipe stem belonged to Chief Hare who was a spiritual leader from the Rosebud Reservation.

In a battle around 1840, a Lakota Sioux killed a Crow warrior and captured his lance with its beaded case as war trophies. 

Before the Sioux came to rely upon hunting of buffalo for their food, they had been farmers in Minnesota.

Such ropes were used as a rein on a horse or to hang a tipi liner.

This buffalo bow quiver set is likely Cheyenne or Crow. The set is made of a recycled buffalo robe, which was partly…

These bones tell of Native American hunting long ago showing stone points embedded in animals killed.

A bone spreader was used to secure a porcupine hair roach. It is believed this spreader is made from the shoulder blade…

This lance and rattle are paraphernalia used by the Brave Heart Society, also called Strong Hearts or Cante Tinza (in Lakota).

This calumet represented decisions of the Great Sioux Nation before branching into Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota groups.

Black Elk was a fighter in the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, along with his cousin Crazy Horse. 

Chief Big Foot, also known as Spotted Elk, was head of the Minniconjou Lakota on the Cheyenne River reservation.

Bison robes were worn as coats, since buffalo have wool rather than hair to keep warm. 

This beaver skin was used over a medicine man's head, using eye holes for viewing, as a decoy to lure a buffalo herd toward a buffalo jump.

Buffalo Horn Chips, also called Horn Chips, Chips, or Woptuha collected herbs/plants used for healing…