This is an outstanding rare beaded tab bag or tail bag from the Jicarilla Apache dating to circa 1870. Tab or Tail Bags are immensly rare and only seen from the Jicarilla Apached and Ute Indians typically showing a flat belt pouch with square or rectangle top flowing into the longer triangle tail bottom. The piece is comprised of Indian tanned hide showing all one piece having a fold over flap opening with belt tie running through the top. The folding tab top has beadwork along with a unique trapezoid like triangle tab and two long fringes all being adorned in a fancy beaded edge. The bag has a nice flat bag section wich flows into the long tapering triangle tail. The entire bag is covered in period correct 19th Century glass trade seed beadwork in typical geometric pattern. The beads include colors of greasy blue, chalk white, light blue, greasy yellow, cobalt, and semi-transparent green. The beadwork and bag are both sinew sewn. The bottom of the bag shows four small fringes holding four rolled tin jingle dangle cones. For other examples see the Jucarilla 19th Century Bag in the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian collection from Vorhees/Mee, the Jucarilla Tab Bag in the University of Pennsylvania collection, and the bag from the alte 19th Century Ute or Jicarilla Apache sold by Skinner in 2011 for $1,200. Provenance: From the renowned Sundog Fine Art Bozeman, Montana collection by Bruce VanLandingham. Bruce VanLandingham was a pillar in the American Indian collecting community and a respected expert. Along with being an avid collector, Bruce was also the sole owner of Sundog Fine Art Gallery in Bozeman, which was both part museum and gallery, this piece is directly from the collection. The bag shows a nice thick hide with slight stiffening but overall well preserved soft supple finish with little bead loss and no major damages. Measures overall 15"L with top strap loop by 3 3/8"W. Museum collection number E1017.