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The following TWO Collections are in the design stage

CHEYENNE DOG SOLDIER COLLECTION

The Dog Soldiers were originally one of six military societies of the Cheyenne, this one consisting of the bravest warriors of the tribe. It was a great honor to be invited into this "No-Flight Society;" an invitation which normally could not be refused.

Dog Soldiers were expected to choose the most dangerous parts of the battlefield, where the heaviest fighting took place. The warriors would dismount, stake their sash to the ground, and vow not to retreat in battle. They would fight this way until death came to them, or until a fellow comrade pulled up the stake, thus freeing them from their vow.

In 1837, a Dog Soldier Chief, Porcupine Bear, participated in the killing of another Cheyenne. His punishment was to be banished from the tribe. His power and prestige were so great; however, many of the Dog Soldiers joined him. In time, this society came to represent a separate political and military division of the Cheyenne.

After the Cheyenne massacre at Sand Creek, peace chiefs, such as Black Kettle and White Antelope, who once looked down on the Dog Soldiers as outlawas and war mongers, now turned to them for protection and leadership. For two years, the hit and run tactics of the Dog Soldiers kept soldiers and white settlers in constant fear.

This collection includes a dog soldier bonnet, warrior sash, buffalo rawhide shield, bow and arrow, lance, tomahawk, knife and sheath.

THE BEAR CULT COLLECTION

The bearcult was made up of a small number of men in nearly every plains tribe who believed they had obtained the power of the bear through a vision. This cult performed many functions. It conducted ceremonies in honor of the bear, held bear feasts, and ceremonial bear hunts. Members participated aggressively in war expeditions and doctored the sick.

When a member of the bear cult went into action against the enemy, he always wore his distinctive bear outfit, and his hair and face being made up to look like a bear. There was always a bear on the shield of society members. A symbol of the bear meant the owner believed the strength and abilities of that animal would be transferred to him whenever they were needed. The bear was also venerated as much for its wisdom as for its strength. It was believed to be invulnerable to other animals, to have the power to fend off most of the bullets and arrows shot at it, and to be able to find the herbs needed to heal itself when wounded. It could impart these same qualities to those it wished to help, and sometimes a bear restored life to persons toward whom it felt an especial friendliness.

When a Bear member was called on for his healing powers, he would run his cult staff into the ground near the wounded warrior, and pull out his medicine bundle. Then with a rattle in one hand and the sacred bundle in the other, he would begin to dance. Adding to this, he would grunt, growl and snarl like a Grizzly Bear, and recite guttural incantations to the good and bad spirits, asking for help in the recovery of the patient.

This collection includes a bear cult shirt, bear claw necklace, knife and sheath, bear cult shield, cult staff, medicine bundle, and rattle.