GAUNTLET GLOVE

1910

Ex Coll Robert Vaughn; gift of his daughter, Elizabeth Sprague

X1957.05.15

Beginning in the 1880s, Cree Indians in Montana often worked as wage laborers and hired out to break horses, brand cattle, and guard horse herds on the open range, working for other Indians and for whites. Chief Plenty Coups of the Crow hired Cree horsemen to guard and train his horses. In time, Crees amassed their own herds and registered their own brands with the state. Taking pride in their profession, they wore beautifully beaded gauntlet gloves, bracers, leggings, and chaps. The maker used large glass seed beads and smaller, faceted seed beads in the design. Made in 1910, the gloves were collected by Sun River area rancher Robert Vaughn and donated to the Montana Historical Society by his daughter, Elizabeth Sprague.

Cree