Time Travel

When I hold one of our magnificent antiques in my hands, I get the sense of traversing the years. Going back to a time when hand-crafted items played an important role in daily life. I contemplate the hours that went into creating one of our majestic Navajo weavings, or one of the stunning beadwork pieces on display in our gallery. The years of training, the wisdom of generations, and centuries of tradition are right there in each artifact. All we have to do is appreciate the history within each piece and cherish the opportunity to touch the past.

A perfect example of this is a Sioux beaded game ball that dates back to the 1890s. This rare & beautiful authentic antique beaded game ball was most likely used at the start of a game of shinney (an extremely athletic game, resembling hockey, that often left players severely injured). This ball would be used at the beginning of a game in a ceremonial fashion before the actual game ball (which was made of simple leather) was thrown onto the field. About the size of a tennis ball, it features beading on a brain-tanned hide in lazy stitch form with all of the beads intact.

One can visualize the spectacle of dozens to hundreds of Native American athletes passing, dodging, and running across a huge field in the prarielands – all being cheered on by thousands more on the sidelines. Something like Monday night football comes to mind with more blood and less corporate sponsorship. It’s all there when you hold this small artifact in the palm of your hand.

This rare gem, along with many other antiques, is available at Indian River Gallery. Go to our web site to discover them all.