Northern Plains Bear Claw Necklace

19th century

constructed with 19 golden claws coated with red pigment; claw lengths range from 3-1/2 to 4 inches; restrung with cobalt beads and sea urchin spines

overall length 17-1/2 inches

Large, powerful, and ferocious, the grizzly bear, or grisly bear, as it is often was written, was something to be emulated by a warrior. A lesser-known facts is that Plains Indians regarded bears as great doctors. A person possessing bear power was the specialist to consult when one's life hung in the balance....

The Plains tribes felt it was an equal feat to kill a grizzly bear as to kill a human enemy. In fact, some tribes believed that these bears actually were humans with an altered appearance.... (Hansen 1994: 106).

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

Collected in Missouri.

Claws are 19th century. Necklace has been rewrapped and restrung.

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Danica Farnand

Vice President, Head of Department, Native American Art

[email protected]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

[email protected]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.

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Claws are 19th century. Necklace has been rewrapped and restrung.

Please email [email protected] for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

Native American Art, Session I

Northern Plains Bear Claw Necklace

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