Indian head nickel

This is a detail shot of a saddle a woman was working on in preparing her Indian regalia for the upcoming Round-Up parades. She brought it to Tamastslikt Cultural Institute workshop on Tuesday. I thought it was neat she used Indian head nickels for decoration.

The antler just behind the beads is a hook-like device where travois latch onto the saddle. Travois are the long pole-like devices American Indians used to haul cargo across the plains. Resting it on this front pommel-like part of the saddle was easier on the horses than just resting the travois on the horses neck, Woodrow Star, a saddle repairman told me.