In the Indigenous communities of the Southwest, water jars are used for collection and storage, and some are intended for ceremonial purpose. A more intricately painted pot generally indicates ceremonial use, whereas less intricate designs might indicate that the pot has a more practical function. Some water jars would have been created by Indigenous people of the Southwest as decorative objects for a Western market. However, designs that were sacred or specific to a family or clan were not circulated on the market. These vessels are still produced today for commerce, utilitarian purpose, and ritual use, and their shapes and designs have continued to highlight the innovations of their makers.

The moccasins Gibson selected present a range of styles from different historical periods and span seasons, regions, and tribes—expressed in the variety of shapes, colors, designs, and materials. Much like other shoes, moccasins are utilitarian: different types serve different functions. They can also display prestige or wealth. If the beadwork, quillwork, or embroidery pattern is more intricate, it took more time and effort to create, signaling a higher social or economic status. Designs can also indicate where the maker is from—their tribe, community, clan, or family.

Illustrated by the Húŋkpapa (Húnkpapa) Lakota Rain-In-The-Face (Ité Omágažu) and given by him to artist Edwin Willard Deming, this tipi liner entered the Brooklyn Museum’s collection in 1943 as a gift from Deming’s widow. The liner has been typically displayed in the manner of other collection items as an art object, yet this tipi liner represents the life and deeds of Rain-In-The-Face in his own hand and is thus as much an archive as it is an object. From this perspective, Rain-In-The-Face’s history should be put in dialogue not only with collection items but also with material from the Museum’s own libraries and archives. Rain-In-The-Face’s narration of Native life does not center the United States or U.S. policy toward Indigenous people as the primary point of interest. Recognizing the archival qualities of the tipi liner adds nuance and complexity to a work that has been portrayed primarily as a fine art object. The tipi liner invites us to bring a new approach to recover Native agency, presence, and voice in the Museum archive and in the collections.
—Dr. Christian Ayne Crouch