This spear decoration is made of a long piece of coloured cotton
cloth with 22 golden eagle tail feathers along one edge and
lengthwise bands of cloth appliquéd by machine on one side. Feathers
which are white at the base and black at the tip are especially prized as
they are taken from an eagle that must be at least a few years old, and are
therefore more difficult to find. (Ktunaxa, Kootenay)
This sitting blanket or mat is an interesting example of
Interior Salish patterned twining, of a type also known to have
been made by the Coast Salish in the late 19th and early
20th Centuries using goat's wool. It is woven with
different coloured rags and twine in a zigzag design. (Nlaka'pamux)
Joined at the waist by braided cedar bark belt (as used by
certain peoples of the lower Ntlak), these leggings are made from
strips of cedar bark placed lengthwise and twined together at right
angles using strings of hemp. (Nlaka'pamux)
This rain cloak is woven from sage brush bark and ornamented
with buckskin. The ends of the bark hang free, creating a fringe
effect. This type of cloak was used by poorer people and older women
within the community, both of whom may also have used them to sleep
on.
Among the Upper Ntlak, ordinary mats were usually thrown over
the head and shoulders by people who had to travel during heavy
rainfall. These makeshift rain covers where held in position with
the hands or fastened with string or pins of wood. However, a few
people from both sexes had elaborate rain capes woven of bark and
trimmed with fur. Some of them included long fringes, and varied in
length from mere shoulder coverings to cloaks that reached below
the waist. (Nlaka'pamux)
These rawhide bags are very old and have been repainted two or
three times. When the original painting begins to wear off it is
scraped off and the bag repainted with a new and usually different
design. Though these bags can be painted by both sexes, this
specific specimen was painted by a woman of the Upper Ntlak. The
geometric patterns and colours used to decorate the bag have
specific meanings, such as blue squares representing lakes, and red
lines representing earth or rocky ground. (Nlaka'pamux)
This horse saddle has a frame made of wood that is covered with
rawhide and sewn with sinew. It has a high pommel (the grip at the
front of the saddle) and cantle (rear of the saddle). (Ktunaxa, Kootenay)
