Plateau Gauntlets

Floral with butterfly brain-tanned buckskin, with white alum. Hardly used. Trunk piece. The United States Cavalry riders wore gauntlet gloves as part of their uniform, introducing the clothing style to plains tribes who turned the gloves into spectacular works of art with painstaking beadwork. As skilled horsemen, Sioux and other plains tribes took great pride in their horses and often wore symbols that celebrated their warrior and rider status, such as these gauntlets. Western cowboys and rodeo performers adopted the beaded gauntlets made by Native People into their fancy wear.