This is an incredible, large buffalo horn headdress with polychrome painted buffalo trailer along with beadwork and quillwork from the Blackfeet Indians of Montana. This is truly a large, heavy head dress / headdress that features a long polychrome painted and decorated buffalo / bison hide trailer that hangs off the back of the headdress. The headdress is comprised of an Indian tanned buffalo hide cap that hangs down the back around 18-inches along with two full, polished buffalo horns affixed to the cap with thick buffalo hide lacing. There is a beautiful beadwork blue brow band showing a wonderful hour-glass or snake pattern done with early glass trade seed beads in cobalt and sky padre light blue. There are several drops of old trade clothe, beads, trade ribbons and two drops of what appears to be human hair, but could be horse tail hair tied onto the side temple areas along with older brass sewing thimbles. The inside of the cap bonnet is lined with old trade clothe. The buffalo hide trailer is attached to the cap with thick hide lacing and measures 58 inches in length by about 12 inches in width. It is artfully decorated with painted designs and symbols, strips of hide lacing and twenty-four large tarnished metal trade sleigh bells / large hawk bells. The painted symbols are in a wonderful Blackfeet / Blackfoot fashion, said to represent the owner’s war exploits and life experiences. There is a pictorial scene with a Blackfoot warrior holding a tomahawk and what appears to be a gunstock war club and a horse. The horse scene has a unique object painted in front of the horse that is noted by such scholars such as John Ewers wrote about it being some kind of “thing” or mystery object. Some theorize that it could be a medicine bundle, but mainly nicknamed the “thing”. It appears in other documented Blackfeet rock art pictographs and paintings with horses, similar to how it appears here in the scene with the horse. There are other painted symbols and designs which are documented as Blackfoot in colors of yellow, green, red and blue. The artwork is extensive and masterfully done. Above the beaded brown band shows large solid brass concho button spots in a long row on trade clothe muslin. The tip of each polished buffalo horn shows four Indian tanned hide fringes wrapped in porcupine quill, quillwork with natural ocher / ochre mineral pigment dyes having small rolled tin jingle dangle cones and brass covered metal hawk trade bells. The headdress was noted by the Ted Levy collection as being from the Indian Wars era of the 19th Century, circa 1880, please examine the pictures and preview the piece in order to deduce your own representation of age and origin. The headdress or war bonnet shows a combination of early 19th Century materials and manufacture with some later repairs or additions, but overall a historic, large and impressive war bonnet headdress. Some stiffening to the back hide, the top is soft, little to no hair loss to the hide, only slight bead and quill loss, some fading to the paint, but overall the piece displays beautifully. Taylor and Levy noted the piece was likely used later on, on the Indian Reservations for ceremonial purposes. Measures overall 68”L from the tip of the horn to the bottom of the trailer and about 18 inches wide. Total weight of 4 lbs. 10 oz.