I share the same birth date as Chief Red Cloud. That was one of my discoveries when I was into Native American Art. 10+ years ago my son was working at a ranch which had in addition to everything else, a heard of Buffalo. When they died or were slaughtered for their meat the bones were saved. My son reserved this skull for me. I did some research on Native American Art and culture and proceeded to dress out the skull as you see here. He hung in our home in Forsyth Missouri.
Problem is, how do you add a dash of Native American to a mix of Asian/Jewish/Italian decor? Easy. Find a wall out of the way and hang him up. He's around the corner as you enter the bathroom. I trust it won't scare someone in advance of their using the facilities.
The left side of the skull represents the earth. Braided Sweet Grass, quail feathers (a bird that nests on the ground), bones, the color red for those who died during the "Trail of Tears". The right side represents the sky with simple game bird feathers. Included of course beads which represent one set of Native American Colors that identify the 4 directions: White = North, Red = South, Yellow = East Black = West. Different tribes used these colors differently or replaced colors. The horn casings are real, and the "fur" is Buffalo hair.
I learned a lot while studying to dress out this skull and I could not simply leave him in storage.
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