In 1921, the Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company began sponsoring Post 8 of the American Legion—a program started in 1919 by Congress to increase support for veterans and such communities across America—through their Senior Drum and Bugle Corps. This corps, which wore replicated traditional regalia of the neighboring Ojibwe nation, became known as the “Schmidt’s Indians” during their 38 year sponsorship (Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company handed the reigns to Jacob Hamm’s Brewery in 1959). The clothing pieces seen here are some of those uniforms. In many Native American cultures, including the Ojibwe, the eagle is seen as the bravest and the strongest bird. It is thought that feathers contain the energy of the bird they came from, so wearing an eagle feather is regarded as a high honor within their tradition. The Ojibwe people themselves did not adopt the practice of wearing a war bonnet until the 19th century, and were inspired by the neighboring Sioux Nation. The headdresses stood as a distinction of honor and leadership. The shirt and skirt are crafted with authentic buckskin, which is made from the hide of a deer. Perhaps their most notable feature though is their fine beadwork. The practice of sewing these very fine beads has been a long-held tradition of the Ojibwe people. Before Europeans set foot in the Americas, the Ojibwe and similar nations, known collectively as the Anishinaabeg, used shells and other natural materials to make these tiny beads. Once the Europeans established trade with the Anishinaabeg, glass seed beads from Italy soon became the preferred material, as they allowed for more intricate and elaborate designs. This stitching appears to be made with the method of spot stitching, a practice which allows for more curvilinear designs, and the beads likely came from Czechoslovakia, which became the preferred bead export after 1910. The floral design in the beadwork was and continues to be a common motif amongst the Ojibwe people in particular, representing the natural beauty and the respect given to the surrounding earth. Regarding the fringe detail on the arms and bottom hems, the original function was to repel water droplets to avoid soaking clothing in the rain, and was typically worn in colder climates. These specific uniforms would have been worn by the majorettes, but the men would have worn similarly adorned clothing instead featuring longer sleeves and pants, which can be seen in the Schmidt’s City Club Beer advertisement. Both items were made by Ojibwe, otherwise known as Chippewa, artisans. Their design, however, came from a non-native, self-employed woman by the name of Nora Reedfield. A resident of Mankato, Minnesota, she had extremely close ties with the White Earth Reservation in Northern Minnesota. She frequently visited this specific band and was generally accepted amongst their community. When visiting, she brought with her gifts which served as evidence of her deep appreciation, rather than appropriation, of their culture as gift-giving is an important sign and practice of kinship within Anishinaabeg communities. Reedfield studied under Ojibwe beadworkers and artisans and soon perfected the crafts, becoming renowned especially for her elaborate and beautiful headdresses. She called herself a costume maker, and appears to have collaborated with White Earth artists to make these “costumes”. Some of the outfits were so grand that one of the larger, full length headdresses was said to have weighed 12 pounds consisting of 108 feathers, while the beaded buckskin shirt and pants of a male drum major weighed an incredible 40 pounds.