PLAINS INDIAN GAR (FISH) SKULL SMOKING PIPE WITH A DECORATED LEATHER PIPE BAG,19th-20th century, possibly Lakota, Sioux. Skull is affixed by thick leather sinews encircling the pipe stem handle.Red banding affixed by a leather sinew to stem and red banding and 3 large (apparently stone or bone) beads) at bottom of the encircling thick leather sinews. The center of the pipe stem is encircled and wrapped in multiple circles with a wide variety of multicolored seed beads in concentric circles of only one row of beads in which the wide variety of colors of the beads are displayed in random sequences. Lowest portion of stem wrapped with leather sinews. Leather pipe bag has leather fringe across top of bag, with some beads, apparently red, yellow and blue, attached to this fringed area. The bag is stitched with leather sinews, and with apparently (not completely visible in photo) red colored fringe along stitched bottom of the bag. Six triangular designs in a wide variety of multicolored beadwork on one side with brass tacks as decorations in the center of each triangle (and possibly other side, not visible in photo) - pipe 22 1/4 in. long.; bag: 24 in. long. Estimate $2,000-4,000
