Plains Indians Art by Lukas N

Focused on historical accuracy,
balanced design
& material authenticity

Historical accuracy

Historical accuracy is the holy grail of www.matotope.com. The concept of each reproduction is based on careful research of extant historic pieces, paintings and photographs. Every aspect is taken into account. The goal is a reproduction that fully respects and preserves historical and tribal frameworks.

Design

Design is equally important. I put great emphasis on attractive and balanced design. Finding a suitable pattern takes a lot of time, because it is necessary to try different combinations of colors and patterns to achieve the optimal result.

Material authenticity​

I use only authentic materials, the same as Plains Indians used in the 19th century: brain-tanned leather (wet and dry-scraped), saved list broadcloth, old color beads, old color quills dyed with natural dyes, natural pigment colors for painting and of course genuine sinew for sewing.

Indian wars and fur trade​

I consider the Indian Wars and Fur Trade to be the most fascinating periods, which is why I focus on them. To the contrary, I don’t deal with the reservation period (after 1880) at all, because Indian art in the reservation period declined and lost its free spirit, the spirit of the old buffalo days.

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Beadwork, quillwork and bird quill showcase

Latest articles

Athabascan style gun case made by the author.

Athabascan style gun case

Since I got a Kibler long rifle, I decided to make a case for it. The rifle suffers a lot on reenacting camps and a case can help, is practical and can be nice. The choice fell on a gun case in the Indian style of the Athabascan speaking tribes. Such gun cases are simple, historically accurate and practical as well as pretty.

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Porcupine Quillwork

Porcupine quillwork decoration was widespread in most northern regions of the North American continent in pre-reservation times. Prior to the contact with whites, who introduced glass

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