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Saddle blanket

Kupangaxwichem (Cupeño) saddle blanket
ca. 1875–1900
Agua Caliente, San Diego County, California
Yucca fiber
81 x 65 cm
Collected by Edward H. Davis
6/5900

Yucca fiber has been used for utilitarian purposes for millennia. Here, this traditional material is adapted to a new purpose—a saddle blanket for a horse. Coastal California Indians became adept horsemen in the 18th century.

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