The lot features a rare and important circa 1890 Ghost Dance Shield attributed to the Lakota Sioux Indians at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. There are three known authentic Ghost Dance shields attributed to the Sioux; one example in a museum in Rapid City, South Dakota, the second sold by NAAC at our Bozeman, Montana sale in 2018 attributed to Grandma Holy Bear and this third example. Provenance: The piece was acquired at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation by Dr. Charles Eastman who later gave the piece with other relics to Reverend Joseph Ward’s Yankton Indian College Museum. It was part of the Ghost Dance display at the Yankton Museum which also included a shirt, two dresses, a few drums and pipe tomahawks. There had previously been four shields from the Sioux Ghost Dance movement that exited at the Wounded Knee Memorial Site Museum that was attributed to American Horse, but was destroyed in a fire set by A.I.M. (American Indian Movement) members in 1973 under Russel Means and Dennis Banks, who set the museum ablaze during their standoff with Federal agents (this was known as the Wounded Knee Incident or Wounded Knee Occupation). This example shows a wetted and stretched Buffalo Bison parfleche rawhide over a bent wood frame that is secured together with hide lacing and old hide glue. The shield shows old mineral pigment polychrome painted figures and symbols in colors of red, yellow, black and blue. At the center shows a black large waterbird flying up towards the sky with wings spread; at the top shows a yellow background with ten four-point morning stars in blue, a single crescent half moon and single full moon both in blue. The bottom shows a red background and the shield overall shows four tied drops of Indian tanned hide, a drop of old trade clothe at the bottom and a drop of partridge feathers at the center. The paint has a nice patina with some fading from age. At the back shows the hide lacing and parfleche ties wrapped over the bent wood along with the long, braided hide shoulder strap still attached. The current collector believes that Lakota Sioux Chief Fast Thunder’s third wife, “Little Bird” and community elder “Grandma Holy Bear” likely made the Sioux Ghost Dance dresses, shirts, drums and shields as items attributed to them have very similar art appeal and styling. Provenance: The piece was acquired at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation by Dr. Charles Eastman and given to Reverend Joseph Ward’s Yankton Indian College Museum where it was on display in the Ghost Dance collection until the museum and college closed in 1984 and the contents were acquired by Jim Aplan of Piedmont, South Dakota. Aplan sold many of those pieces to wealthy collector Cyrus Eaton of London, England in 1985. The shield measures 18 ½ inches across and is in well preserved condition for its age.