My Dad’s wife Jane (also known as one of my many moms) works with a very kind and talented lady named Nancy. Nancy is a descendant from an Eastern Woodland tribe called the Pamunkey tribe King James Reservation at Williamsburg Virginia. She was taught beading 14 years ago by her Sioux grandmother from the Rose Bud Reservation in South Dakota. Last year we all attended the PowWow at the New Mexico State Fair where Nancy and her husband Anthony were the guests of honor, basically the head couple for the PowWow. Nancy had a beautifully hand beaded dress that took her two years to make. It was amazing, I wish I had a picture to share, but she is one talented and patient woman. . Nancy has a 4 year old daughter named Toshina, and Riley and Abigale got to dance with Toshina and Nancy at the PowWow(again wish I had picture to show). Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, Jane ordered a beaded jacket for each of the girls. Nancy makes these jackets and sells them at her booth at the PowWow circuit she and Anthony do.

The technique used is Sioux “lazy stitch” or sometimes referred to at “lane stitch”

The symbols used in the pattern are:

a triangle for tepeee

a pitchfork from watching the white farmer

deer toes

+ for granny crosses, the Christian symbol settlers brought with them

the beadwork is on the front, the back and the collar!

Thanks Jane and Nancy!