I follow a wonderful artist named Angela Swedburg on both Facebook and her blog...she doesn't post often but this new shirt project appeared today. My guess is she used elk hide, decorated with a large center medallion of porcupine quillwork, plus full ermine (weasel) skins...pricy little critters! Also dyed horse hair and bead work. Its her interpretation of an old Mandan shirt; the trapezoidal figures around the neck are a Northern Plains style often found in rock and shield art (listened to a great paper on this topic at the Plains Anthro conference held in Bismark, ND). All in all a mighty nifty item and likely a custom piece for someone or a museum.....amazing how much pride and work went into clothing in the past, as well as the present. For more info I recommend a good book on men's shirts:
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