Tahltan men wore beaded, round-bottomed, straight topped caribou-hide firebags over one shoulder, or around the neck, during ceremonial occasions. These bags are more elaborate versions of Tahltan men’s utilitarian pouches used to hold ammunition. This ceremonial firebag, with its characteristic back extension above the pouch opening, is made from hide and red and black wool broadcloth. It has a beaded broadcloth strap edged in silk and an almost fully beaded pouch with geometric motifs composed largely of nested rectangles—a design pattern characteristic of the Tahltan.

Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian
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The National Museum of the American Indian  |  George Gustav Heye Center  |  New York, NY

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