PLAINS INDIAN BREAST PLATE,19th-20th century, possibly Lakota, Sioux. Breast plate has two columns of horizontally positioned stick-like, straight, but slightly irregular, whitish/ cream colored bones, approximately 5" long, with each stick having on both ends a large pink bead. The two columns are divided in the center with horizontally positioned, stick-like, straight, but slightly irregular black sticks (dyed or painted, stone, bone or wood (?)), approximately 3" long, separating these sticks from the 5" bone sticks, with a yellow bead and a round gold or brass or brass or gold colored bead, between the sticks. Many long leather fringe sinews on both the sides and bottom of the breast plate, with two long leather straps for fastening plate around body at the very top, affixed to plate with red, yellow and turquoise large beads as decoration. A string of decorative red, yellow, turquoise and lengthier apparently hollow wood beads with two circular discs appended thereto, are on both the top and bottom of the breast plate. A slightly irregular circular piece of bone with a hole in center is also appended by leather sinew to the top of the breast plate - App. 33 in. long. Estimate $2,000-4,000
