This is a fantastic 19th-century buffalo hide beaded medicine paint pouch from the Plateau of Montana from the ex-collections of Elizabeth “Myrtle Pretty Coos” Smart Enemy and Benard Preston Thomas. The bag exhibits Indian tanned Great American Bison Buffalo hide which is old trade thread sewn and shows a Plateau whimsical beaded freeform floral like beadwork design documented amongst the Blackfeet and Plateau of Montana. The bag is covered in old yellow and red ocher mineral pigment paint. The beads are all 1800’s period correct glass trade seed beads including greasy blue, greasy yellow, chalk white, red white hearts, cobalt, semi-transparent dark green, faceted metal and cobalt. The original Indian tie strap is attached at the top. Provenance: Noted as being descended through the family of Elizabeth “Myrtle Pretty Coos” Smart Enemy who was born to Stanislaw Hears Every Way and Ruth Whiteman of the Big Lodge Clan on October 16, 1909. For a time before her death on February 14, 2009 she was the oldest know living member of the Crow. Also was owned by artist Benard Preston Thomas (1918-1992) Sheridan, Wyoming who was gifted the piece by the Crow in the 1940’s. Thomas was an accomplished Western artist who painted accurate depictions of Crow life in earlier times. Other items from this collection exhibited: North by Southwest, The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, Tallahassee, FL, 2010. Measures overall 6-inches by 4.25-inches.