Pueblo Fabric Rust Color Dance Kilt [SOLD]

There are a variety of kilts worn by pueblo men during plaza dances.  The most common is a white homespun cotton cloth in a plain basket weave.  It measures approximately 50 inches long by 20 inches wide and is generally folded over at the waist and held in place with a woven belt.  It is the one worn by Hopi Katsina dancers as well as New Mexico animal dancers.

Special kilts are used for special occasions, such as the kilt used for the Hopi Snake Dance.  It is generally of white cotton that has been painted or stained in rust color.  There is a serpentine black band through the center of the kilt, outlined in white, which represents the plumed serpent.  The serpentine band is continuous around the skirt and has neither head nor tail.  White arrow-like marks on the black serpentine band represent the footprints of ducks and the pair of white parallel lines represents the footprints of the frog, both being water creatures.  Similar painted kilts are used by New Mexico pueblos for the Buffalo Dance.

This kilt is a heavy material similar to canvas cloth.  It has been stained rust color and painted with the serpentine band referred to above.  Alternating black and yellow narrow bands are at the waist and the hem areas.  Interestingly, a strip of additional fabric has been stitched onto the bottom of the kilt to make it lengthier.  This kilt appears to be very old in that modern kilts would probably not be patched as this one but would be replaced when necessary.

The kilt has been stitched to a fabric-covered board so that it may be hung on a wall for display.  It could be left in this state or removed from the fabric and displayed in that manner.

Condition: ethnographic wear patterns

Provenance: the current owner is a Santa Fe resident who purchased this item a number of years ago from a Santa Fe dealer, now deceased, at which time it was appraised by another dealer, Ken Canfield, for $3500.  A 2008 appraisal by Santa Fe dealer Ray Dewey was for $4800. 

Referenced Publication: Ceremonial Costumes of the Pueblo Indians: Their Evolution, Fabrication, and Significance in the Prayer Drama by Virginia More Roediger