Sash

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The flowing spiral and scroll designs on this sash—ancient motifs commonly seen on earlier pottery of the southeast—are undoubtedly symbolic. The white beads may reference white shell, a material with spiritual associations. Sashes of this type served as emblems of Choctaw belief and identity, signifying status and prestige. Made by women, they were worn by men around their waists or over their chests, often paired with a second sash.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art