Contemporary View

The long traditions of making bandolier bags has sustained over generations to contemporary beadworkers by both women and men actively passing their knowledge onto their kin in order to sustain their cultural heritage. However, due to the commodification of indigenous cultural materials, many of the cosmological beliefs behind the designs on the bags were molded into designs meant to please the wants of white customers and consumers. By the turn of the 20th centrury, Indigenous beadworking used for ceremonial and cultural functions had almost completely been made for collectors (Johnson, 2016) and showcased as art in muesums. Through revitalization, Indigenous groups have been able to represent and maintain their reciprocal intergenered and intergenerational systems of kinship. The contemporary importance for this bag and many others on display in museums is that current and future generations can get the chance to learn from the artistry and cultural heritage.