Article: German silver crosses in Lakota attire: personal adornment or symbols of tribal leadership?

In the fall of 1877, photographer Mathew Brady produced several images of a delegation of Oglala, Brule and Arapahoe headmen who had traveled to Washington D. C. from the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail Agencies in northwestern Nebraska to meet with the President. Four of the Ogalala headmen visible in the Brady photographs (Figures 1a & 1b) are shown wearing a large metal cross around their neck, suspended by a handkerchief. Were these metal crosses simply adornment, a matter of personal taste? Or did they have some special significance within Lakota culture, a badge they hoped would communicate their status and role within Oglala society as they met with the American leader? ...

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