Featured Athabaskan Attribution; Purse with Sash/Strap, All Hand Stitched

Acquired this ~20 years ago, at an exorbitant cost, on a hunch. The shop-owner swore it was made by 'Athabaskans'...I had no knowledge of that (Canadian) Tribe. I had noticed the absence of machine stitching anywhere in the entire creation, an' was convinced it was worth the gamble. Brought it home, put it away an' forgot about it. Looking for something else, it rolled to the top a few days ago.
The ~44" strap is fashioned so that this 'purse' may be worn as sash, hanging roughly at the hip, with the strap diagonally across the upper body.
Both the red an' blue decorative motifs are dyed grass; the red is stitched down at every fold. The blue appears to be finely 'braided' around dual cord cores, the whole stitched down about every ~1/8".
The wrapped hems of the dark central panel an' the strap look like fine silk, an' are almost invisibly stitched about every 3/16", both sides. The striped fabric lining the pouches vaguely resembled mattress ticking...but the material is too fine for that, I think. The seams of both liners are, again, tightly an' finely hand stitched.
The hide might be Elk, or Moose...or something else entirely...I believe it's too thick to be deer. The tanning is very supple, sweet in the hand.
Probably some of you will have questions about other details I haven't focused on, or will need other pics...I'll be happy to provide all of that.
What have I got, an' what possible age an' localized origin can be accurately ascribed to the purse? Your comments an' wisdom are eagerly sought, an' greatly appreciated...I'm deeply over my head with this. Thanks for lookin'!

 

I can't even speculate as to the blue...but I'm pretty sure the red is dyed porcupine quill.

There's no flap..or twist closure so really I can't say what this was used for , or just how old it may be.

The design...is not one I recognize and it doesn't seem to be any particular tribal geometric.

The Athapaskins beaded....used hide and fur and some shells.......



The quill, and cotton interior speak to me of the Great Lakes 1st nations...

 

Good...Thanks, Komo!

 

"Athabascan" refers to a language group - a group of tribes that share similar languages.


Your bag looks like it might be a relatively modern creation - I don't see any signs of age or use. But someone made a sincere effort to use historic materials and methods. The leather appears to be brain tanned. This stitching looks like it might be sinew -

I agree with komo that the red pattern is done with porcupine quills. Athabascan groups did do quillwork before the introduction of glass beads in the mid 19th century, and the techniques have been preserved by some elders and more recently revived by contemporary artists, as explained in this news article from 2014 -
https://www.adn.com/arts/article/old-art-athabascan-quillwork-rediscovered/2014/04/12/

But other features of the bag look quite modern. I would expect a genuinely old bag to be constructed with a front flap that folds over the opening at the top of the bag, rather than having only a button-and-loop closure. The antler button also looks very modern.

I cannot tell what the blue wavy design is made of.

The blue and white cotton "ticking" may have been chosen for the lining because it is a type of fabric that would have been available historically (and is still being made).

In summary, I don't see anything that would distinctively associate it with an Athabascan group, but I also don't see any reason that it could not be. I might, however, not be much older than the date you purchased it.

 

Even the Navajo and Apache in the SW USA belong to that group. They wandered south as nomads from Canada.

 

Too late to edit my original post -

That should read "It might not be much older".....I definitely am older than the date you purchased it.

 

Thank you, Books...I'm grateful for your thoughtful analysis, an' the informative link!