Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1912

Date Range To

1915

Materials

LEATHER, BEADS

No. Pieces

1

Length

83.8

Width

6.4

Description

BACK OF THE BELT IS HARNESS LEATHER WITH BEAD STITCHING. BEADS - BLUE, RED, BROWN & YELLOW (GEOMETRIC PATTERN). 2 HOLES IN EACH END OF BELT.

Subjects

CLOTHING-ACCESSORY

INDIGENOUS

Historical Association

ETHNOGRAPHIC

History

BELT ORIGINALLY BELONGED TO BLOOD TRIBE MEMBER JOE HEALY, ACQUIRED BY DONOR'S HUSBAND ABOUT 1912. SEE P197800207000-GA FOR HISTORY. *UPDATE* IN 2014 LOUISE-MARIE CROP EARED WOLF, A MEMBER OF THE KAINAI (BLOOD TRIBE), AND A FOURTH YEAR NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES MAJOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE COMPLETED AN APPLIED STUDIES PROJECT WITH THE COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT AT THE GALT MUSEUM. SHE PHOTOGRAPHED ETHNOGRAPHIC ARTIFACTS ASSOCIATED WITH FIRST NATIONS CULTURES IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND WROTE THE FOLLOWING TEXT TO PRESENT HER FOCUSED RESEARCH ON FOUR SPECIFIC ARTIFACTS (P19641186000, P19780209000, P19780208000, AND P19790235000): “I WANT TO DISPLAY THE KAINAI WOMEN BEADED ITEMS FROM THE GALT MUSEUM COLLECTIONS FOR THEIR ARTISTIC MERIT AND NOT JUST FOR THEIR ETHNOLOGICAL VALUE. THE FOUR ARTIFACTS SELECTED ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF FOUR GENERATIONS OF BEADERS: GRANDMOTHERS, MOTHERS, SISTER, AND DAUGHTERS. THE COLOURS ARE MEANINGFUL AND THE TRADITIONAL SYMBOLS ARE USED THROUGHOUT. THE ADHERENCE TO THE TRADITION, HOWEVER, DOES NOT SUPPRESS ARTISTIC EXPRESSION; THE BEADERS USE A FAIR DEGREE OF CREATIVITY IN THEIR CHOICE OF MATERIALS, SYMBOLS AND COLORS. THE ART OF BEADING IS NOT A “DYING ART” – IT IS THE ARTISTS, ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND IT IS A “LIVING ART”. FOR GENERATIONS, KAINAI WOMEN BEADERS AND CLOTHING DESIGNERS HAVE BEEN MAKING CLOTHING FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. THE BEADED CLOTHING HONOURS THE FAMILY FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT IN A CONTINUOUS CIRCLE OF HONOURING. THE BEADED CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES SUCH AS MOCCASINS, LEGGINGS, AND BELTS, COMMUNICATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FAMILY AND ILLUSTRATE HOW TRADITIONS ARE PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS. THE BEADED WORK CONNECTS A BEADING ARTIST TO HER ANCESTORS. EVERY MOTIF, DESIGN, COLOUR OF SEED BEADS, STANDS FOR SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO THE ARTIST’S FAMILY, REFLECTING THE ARTIST’S SURROUNDINGS AND REINFORCING HER CULTURAL VALUES. LEARNING BY OBSERVATION, AN ARTIST PAYS RESPECT TO THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE KAINAI WOMEN BEADERS. MEN AND WOMEN TRADITIONALLY WORE RAWHIDE BELTS. STARTING FROM THE 19TH CENTURY, THE BELTS WERE INCREASINGLY MADE FROM RE-USED HARNESS LEATHER AND DECORATED WITH BEADWORK IN OVERLAY (SPOT) STITCH. THE WHOLE LENGTH OF BELT IS EXECUTED IN BEADED COLOUR. THE DESIGN CONSISTS OF PANELS WITH GEOMETRIC DESIGNS SEWN TO THE BELT WITH OVERLAY STITCH. THE TRIANGLE SYMBOL IS CALLED THE “MOUNTAIN.” IN THIS DESIGN, THE SYMBOLS ARE COMBINE BASE TO BASE TO FORM A DIAMOND SHAPE. THE NAMES OF BEADED DESIGNS OF THE KAINAI ARE MORE DESCRIPTIVE THAN EVOCATIVE." *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING A PORTRAIT OF JOE HEALY, WHO WAS PURPORTEDLY THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS BELT. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY ON JOE HEALY WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM THE GALT ARCHIVES AND 'THE AMAZING DEATH OF CALFSHIRT: THREE HUNDRED YEARS OF BLACKFOOT HISTORY' BY HUGH DEMPSEY: POTAI'NA "FLYING CHIEF' JOE HEALY (LATER CALLED WOLF MOCCASIN) WAS BORN IN 1854 ON THE MONTANA BLACKFEET RESERVATION, TO THE LEADER OF THE BLOOD TRIBE, MANY BRAIDS. MANY BRAIDS HAD BECOME FRIENDLY WITH JOHN J. HEALY, CO-OPERATOR OF THE SUN RIVER CROSSING TRADING POST WITH ALFRED B. HAMILTON. DURING A ROUTINE VISIT TO THE TRADING POST, THE BLOODS' CAMP WAS RAIDED AT NIGHT BY A BAND OF PEND D'OREILLE WARRIORS. MANY BRAIDS, HIS WIFE, BABY AND TEENAGE DAUGHTER WERE KILLED IN THE CONFLICT, WHICH WAS WITNESSED BY JOHN HEALY. BEFORE HE DIED, MANY BRAIDS ASKED JOHN HEALY TO TAKE CARE OF HIS SON, FLYING CHIEF, THE ONLY SURVIVING MEMBER OF THE FAMILY. JOHN HEALY GAVE THE EIGHT YEAR OLD BOY THE NAME JOE HEALY, AND KEPT HIM AT THE TRADING POST UNTIL THE SUMMER, WHEN HE WAS ENROLLED IN THE SCHOOL AT NEARBY FORT SHAW. THERE JOE DEVELOPED HIS KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH. IN 1869, WHILE JOE WAS IN SCHOOL, HEALY AND HAMILTON WENT NORTH AND OPENED A TRADING POST AT THE CONFLUENCE OF THE OLDMAN AND ST. MARY RIVERS; THIS POST WOULD BECOME KNOWN AS FORT WHOOP-UP AND WAS INFAMOUS FOR ITS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WHISKEY TRADE AND VIOLENCE IN THE AREA UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE NORTH-WEST MOUNTED POLICE IN 1874. THREE YEARS LATER, DUE TO A DECLINE IN THE BUFFALO POPULATIONS AND THUS THE ROBE MARKET, HEALY CLOSED THE SUN RIVER CROSSING POST AND MOVED TO FORT BENTON. JOE WAS NOW SIXTEEN AND WAS COMPELLED TO RETURN TO HIS RELATIVES AMONG THE BLOODS. HE FOLLOWED THE LAST BUFFALO HERDS WITH BULL SHIELD, AND JOINED IN RELIGIOUS AND WARFARE ACTIVITIES OF THE TRIBE. WHEN THE BLOODS SETLLED ON THEIR RESERVE IN 1881, JOE WAS THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE TRIBE WHO WAS FLUENT IN BLACKFOOT AND ENGLISH. HE WAS AN OUTSPOKEN SUPPORTER OF RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS AND DEFIED ATTEMPTS BY THE GOVERNMENT TO SUPRESS DANCES AND FESTIVALS. HE MARRIED WIDE NOSTRILS, THE DAUGHTER OF IRON PIPE, AND THEY HAD SIX DAUGHTERS AND FOUR SONS. JOE WORKED AS AN OFFICIAL INTERPRETER FOR THE GOVERNMENT WHEN A NEW TREATY WAS MADE IN 1883, AND AS A SCOUT FOR THE RNWMP. IN LATER YEARS HE CO-ORDINATED FIRST NATIONS' PARTICIPATION IN THE LETHBRIDGE EXHIBITION AND STAMPEDE. JOE HEALY DIED AT ST. PAUL'S MISSION ON THE BLOOD RESERVE IN 1936 AS ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED PATRIARCHS OF THE BLOOD TRIBE.

Catalogue Number

P19780208000

Acquisition Date

1978-07

Collection

Museum

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