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Roach Spreader

ca. 1830
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
An animal-hair headdress called a roach required a spreader like this one to fan out the crest of hair. The cutouts on the upper section of this early example are simple abstract shapes, while those on the lower end depict two headless male figures in a dance or struggle. Originally worn by Woodlands and Plains warriors, roach headdresses and spreaders commonly appear today as a part of powwow regalia.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Roach Spreader
  • Date: ca. 1830
  • Geography: United States, Minnesota
  • Culture: Santee Dakota (Eastern Sioux)
  • Medium: Elk antler, eagle bone, native tanned leather, pigment, silk ribbon
  • Dimensions: Length: 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm)
    Width: 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
  • Classification: Horn-Implements
  • Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum, New York, Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund (50.67.163)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing