Northwestern Beaded Octopus Bag

ca 1900

thread and sinew-sewn red trade wool designed with floral elements; tabs dotted with pink glass beads

overall length 25 inches x width 9 inches

This bag... is known today as an octopus bag because of the four pairs of long tabs at the bottom. In the nineteenth century, such bags were called fire bags since they were used to store flint, steel, and tinder. The bag style apparently originated around the Canadian side of the Great Lakes and was probably developed by the mixed-blood Metis...

The style spread across the continent. Late nineteenth century photographs show the octopus bag in use among the Tlingits on the Pacific. It also enjoyed favor as far north as the Subarctic. This example, with its asymmetrical beaded design, was probably made around the Great Slave Lake by a Slavey woman about 1900 (Hanson 1994: 259).

Published:
Spirits in the Art (Hanson 1994: 259, plate 268)

Wool with some scattered holes.

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Danica Farnand

Vice President, Head of Department, Native American Art

danicafarnand@freemansauction.com 513.666.4935

Ms. Farnand has helmed the Native American Art department since its inception at Cowan's Auctions in 2003, developing it into one of the most respected and successful departments in the category. Throughout her career, Ms. Farnand has sold over $50 million in Native Art, and has created focused and curated auctions for 19th and 20th century Native works, Jewelry, and Modern and Contemporary Native and Indigenous Arts. A distinguished expert in her field, Ms. Farnand is a respected voice in the ongoing dialogue between Native American tribal groups and the collecting community regarding culturally significant objects, serving as a board member of the Authentic Tribal Art Dealers Association (ATADA) since 2019, and spearheading the effort to return a sacred Ahayu:da wooden figure to its rightful home in the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico in 2020. She has also been an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow since 2016. Ms. Farnand holds an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Cincinnati and a B.A. in Art History from John Carroll University.

Erin Rust

Associate Vice President, Specialist, Native American Art

erinrust@freemansauction.com 513.666.4947

Erin Rust is a specialist in the Native American, Prehistoric & Tribal Art department at Hindman.
Ms. Rust began as a specialist in Native American Art and Artifacts at Cowan’s Auctions in 2017, with a focus on Native jewelry and Midwestern prehistoric artifacts. She has also worked on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana and on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Ms. Rust holds a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design with a minor in History, concentrating in Native Studies, from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ms. Rust also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

The Lifetime Collection of Forrest Fenn, Part II

Northwestern Beaded Octopus Bag

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