Description
Artist: Unknown
Style: Necklace
Pueblo: Cherokee
Period: Antique (1920-1959)
Materials: Sustainably Sourced Deerskin, Glass, and Bone
Length: 30.5″
Item: # 3121
Traditional handmade Native American Indian Jewelry from Indigenous Pueblos of the Southwest. Guaranteed authentic. Good antique condition.
Own a tangible link to the profound spiritual traditions of the Southeast with this authentic antique Cherokee medicine pouch necklace. This deeply meaningful piece features a central pouch meticulously handcrafted from brain-tanned deerskin, which retains its supple texture and rich, smoky patina. The front is adorned with intricate, traditional beadwork patterns utilizing rare, early glass seed beads in cobalt blue and chalk white. The strap is a complex and symbolic assembly of hand-carved bone hairpipe beads, faceted trade beads, and hand-cut leather spacers, culminating in the functional medicine pouch which was designed to hold sacred herbs, stones, or personal totems for protection and spiritual guidance.
For the Cherokee people and many other Southeastern tribes, a medicine pouch was never a simple adornment; it was a highly personal and sacred vessel, often worn continuously as a source of strength, healing, and spiritual shielding. The specific materials selected for this piece—from the protective qualities associated with bone and brain-tanned leather to the status and trade connections represented by the early glass beads—each carry significant cultural meaning. Authentic antique medicine bags are extremely scarce outside of museum collections, making this an exceptional acquisition for serious collectors of historical Native American material culture who appreciate provenance, craftsmanship, and the enduring power of Indigenous spiritual traditions.
