A rosette is a decorative artform that symbolizes wealth and status. Rosettes were used in as trade items, and Native artisans attach these beaded forms to a wide variety of garments, from headdresses or bonnets to shirts, pants, moccasins, and gloves. Rosettes are also used to adorn traditional personal objects such as turbans, pouches, bags, and quivers, and they may decorate everything from cradle boards to horse tack; they are even sometimes found decorating the exterior part of tipi lodges, often indicating the four quarters of the structure. The motif on this particular pair of rosettes is known as the Thunderbird design, which symbolizes strength, power, and protection.

For more information, you may contact the researcher(s) noted in the title of this exhibit entry, or Dr. Billie Follensbee, the professor of the course, at BillieFollensbee@MissouriState.edu