Buffalo Silk Scarf

This beautiful scarf features the signature ledger artwork of Blackfeet/Piikani artist and Inspired Natives® Project Collaborator John Isaiah Pepion.

The buffalo was the staff of life for most Plains Indian Nations. Today the buffalo is still a central part of life, from food to ceremony. John's buffalo design pays tribute to the power and sacrifice that the buffalo continues to give.

A note on the fabric: these 100% silk scarves are plain weave and the design is printed on one side. (Silk is the fiber; plain weave is the weave structure.) These scarves have a smooth texture and are the typical "slipperiness" many people associate with silk. Our silk scarves have the lightness and coolness you expect from silk, with a fluid drape.

• 100% silk 
• 35 in x 35 in / 88.9 cm x 88.9 cm
• Dry clean only
  
• Imported

Thank you for supporting Inspired Natives®, not "Native-inspired."

Cultural Context:

The background of John's Buffalo design mimics the ledger paper that Plains Indians drew and painted on, which often had text and numbers written on it.

Ledger art is a type of narrative art developed by Plains Indian people and was popular from the 1860s through 1920s. Plains artists traditionally painted on buffalo hide; however, the buffalo eradication program by the US government in the 1800s made buffalo increasingly scarce. Plains artists began using paper as the canvas for their narrative designs: artists often used ledger books, the portability of which were ideal for the nomadic Plains lifestyle. Ledger art was primarily drawn or painted by men and depicted narrative, representational subjects (as opposed to the geometric designs frequently found on parfleches, which were most often painted by women). 

This is an original ledger by an unknown Blackfeet (Piikani) warrior. It was collected in 1905 on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. Today, the work is part of the Autry Museum collection: John took this photo of the work when he visited the collection in Los Angeles.