THE SHUSWAP. TEIT, JAMES MEMOIRS, 4, 1909

Rattle shows five people (angels?) dressed in white robes cinched with red wool belts. Two also wear woolen skirts in red, blue, green, and white stripes with a shoulder sash. Each figure has short brown hair with a blue ribbon, a pink face, and stitched-on features in black thread. Each is connected to a small, round, two piece, unpainted wooden clapper. Bottle caps are attached to the bottom of the rattle’s cross shaped platform in pairs. The long handle protrudes from the bottom of the platform and is made of wood and metal, decorated with plastic tape in red and white.

Red felt bag with a long fringe. The bag is round at bottom, with straight sides and top, and a long handle. Handle and felt embellishments on bag are in black felt. On the front are four 6-petal flowers made from moose hair tufting, dyed red, purple and yellow and interspersed with green leaves of the same material. A strand of twisted grey hair makes a circle under the flowers and leaves. On the bag’s edges is sewn a thick fringe of deer skin. The interior of the bag is lined with cotton in a small floral pattern. The closure sits at the centre of the bag’s opening, and is a strip of black felt with a metal snap.

Axel Rasmussen Collection. Collected: Axel Rasmussen

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

Gift of Dorothy and Clarence Morgan.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

Most children's clothing among Plateau peoples such as the Umatilla was simply a smaller version of adult garments. A great deal of time and energy was spent providing children with articles of clothing and accessories so that they could look their best on special occasions. This remarkable wool shirt decorated with beaded strips and adorned with metal beads and ermine strips reveals one family's devotion to their child.