Catalogue description suggests bison hair, but possibly commercial wool, the twist looks very regular and tight; tendon or vegetable fibre; porcupine quill, white, black, orange, red; metal cones.

This sash appears to be finger woven, with quill wrapped around strands at intervals to create a pattern.

The numerous cones make a lovely sound when they are moved.

Stylistic of the era.

This work came originally from the collection of the Bibliothèque Municipale de Versailles, which includes the collection of Charles Phillipe Fayolle, begun in the 1750s. He collected up to the time of the French Revolution and continued to collect until his death in 1804. His collection became part of the Bibliothèque Municipale de Versailles at the time of the French Revolution, 1792. Material continued to be added to this collection in the nineteenth century. The collection was moved to the Musée de l’Homme (Amérique) and from there to the Musée du quai Branly. Three inventories were done of the Fayolle collection, one in 1792 when it was seized at the time of the Revolution, one in 1806 just before the collection went to the Bibliothèque municipale de Versailles, and a third in 1869 just before the collection went into the Musée d'ethnographie du Trocadéro. These inventories can be helpful in dating some of the works from this collection. Some of the works in this collection can thus be dated to before 1792, while others were collected in the nineteenth century.A.deS.

Unknown artist, belt or sash. Currently in the Musée du quai Branly, 71.1934.33.58. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip; GRASAC item id 1371.

This record was created by Anne de Stecher during an RAship for Prof. Ruth Phillips.

This record will be on open access on the completion of Anne de Stecher's dissertation, 2011.