Bag made from the hide of a buffalo foetus with the four legs stitched closed and the neck gathered together and held with a leather tie and nylon thread. The bag is filled with an unknown substance.
The neck is tied with nylon fishing line. R. Storrie 5/7/2019
The following comments result from a research visit made by Alison Brown, Anita Herle, Alan Pard and Charlene Wolfe, to examine some of the Horniman’s Blackfoot material (5 March 2015) : Buffalo foetus bag used for storage. At one time this may have been used for bearberries (Arctostaphylos alpina / Arctostaphylos rubra). The opening is brittle, so it hasn't been opened for a long time. AP then prods it and says way it grinds feels like sweet pine (Abies Lasiocarpa). It has a crunch to it, which suggests it may not be berries that are inside. It could also be tobacco, which wouldn't hold its smell in the way sweet pine would. There was some further discussion about the contents, which could include herbs or kinnikinnik (a smoking mixture of herbs including bearberry leaf and tobacco).
