Story Appliquéd Cape with Bison Trim — 1885 Alive

"WHEN A MAN MOVES AWAY FROM NATURE, HIS HEART BECOMES HARD" — Lakota Proverb What we did to our native brothers and sisters when we killed all the bison, we did to ourselves as well. In 1885, the mighty herds of bison were finally reduced from nearly 35 million to barely 300. Black hearts caused this decimation and unnecessary destruction, and new hearts were needed to slowly and steadily bring the bison back from the brink of extinction. Today, ranching by both native and non-native people in North America has grown the bison population to over 500,000. Jennie Montana designed this red melton wool cape to tell this story of loss and life. The back is embroidered with a pile of skulls as seen in a famous photo when proud white men struck poses on top and next to their heinous deed. The front shows flowers growing back through skeletal remains, as a sign of life after death. Lined with plaid checked wool suiting. When the hood is pulled up, appliquéd bison horns appear.