Indian arts.(George Gustav Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian , New York, NY)(Brief Article)

Two exhibitions at the George Gustav Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan celebrate the extraordinary decoration lavished on objects used by American Indians in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One, entitled Beauty, Honor and Tradition: The Legacy of Mains Indian Shirts, is on view through November 4. The other, which may be seen through May 27, is entitled Gifts of Pride and Love: Kiowa and Comanche Cradles.

Plains Indian shirts and jackets were made by women and worn by men. The forty-eight examples in this exhibition are drawn from the museum's extensive collection, and are displayed in a thematic installation that highlights their beauty and power, history, iconography, construction, and the materials used to make them. The curators of the exhibition, George Horse Capture and his son, Joseph Horse Capture, both Gros Ventres, provide insight into the various meanings that are embodied in these garments and relate to their ceremonial use. The shirts and jackets, which honored warriors and tribal leaders, were used by spiritual leaders, and were thought of as vehicles for acquiring spiritual power. The decoration fashioned in beads, paint, and quillwork served to summarize the common values of the wearers--generosity, honor, and bravery.

Cradles, sometimes called cradleboards, were also the product of women's work. Between ...