This is a fabulous 19th-Century Blackfoot Horse Stealing Medicine Charm Necklace from the ex-collections of Brant Mackley, Erich Erdoes (Buffalo Tracks) and Mike Kokin (Sherwoods). This example shows an Indian tanned hide strand strung with amazing 19th-century wound glass blue padre trade beads, brass trade beads and carved bone charms or amulets which have been wrapped with old red stroud trade clothe and adorned with period 19th-century glass trade seed beads in a banded design. The beadwork exhibits petit beads in greasy yellow, chalk white and cobalt. The charms are carved from Buffalo / Bison bone to represent horse teeth showing a serrated tooth like carved bottom. The bone has a red ocher / ochre dyed painted coloring and a deep patina. This is likely the best representation of a Horse Stealing Medicine Charm Necklace from the Blackfoot / Blackfeet that has ever been brought to the public market.
These horse stealing medicine charm necklaces are incredibly scarce with very few ever coming on the open market, for reference see the example in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian which is noted as Blackfoot (Niitsitapi, Siksikaitsitapi), Piegan (Piikani) collected by Edith V. Murphey at the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana in 1941 and noted as being worn by Stabs by Mistake, worn to assist him in capturing his enemies horses, boron 1868 and died 1941. Similar to our example the necklace shows carved teeth strung on a rawhide or hide cord with trade beads.
Provenance: From the ex-collections and galleries of Brant Mackley of Brant Mackley Gallery Santa Fe, NM, Erich Erdoes of Buffalo Tracks Santa Fe, NM and Mike Kokin of Sherwoods Spirit of America; pictured in both Mackley and Sherwoods catalogs; all three above were members of the ATADA (Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association). The piece comes on a custom black stand with original Brant Mackley Gallery sticker on the bottom.
The necklace is approximately 20-inches around, the teeth bone charms are each 2.75-inches long by 1.25-inches wide by ¾-inches deep. The stand is 7” by 10.5" by 2.5".