This is very cool. It’s a quilled bag made by Shawnee depicting a Continental Army soldier fighting a redcoat. Made circa 1780. The Shawnee sided with the French during the French & Indian War, and afterwards there was a series of conflicts between the Shawnee and the colonies. In 1774 Virginians fought the Shawnee in what would become known as Lord Dunmore’s War (Dunmore was the governor of Virginia).
During the Revolution some Shawnee sided with the British while others remained neutral.
There’s an Ojibwa made coat (dating to roughly the same time period) that is done in Ojibwa materials, but is cut in the European style.
Two items a trend does not make, but I do find this merging of culture and fashion very interesting.
Actually, taking a closer look at that bag makes me think that the 1780s dating of it is wrong. I’m certainly not very knowledgeable on Indian clothing styles, but the uniforms depicted in the artwork of the bag make this more likely to be early 19th century than late 18th century. Perhaps War of 1812?
