Bandolier bag


A bandolier bag or gashkibidaagan is a beaded shoulder bag with a wide strap often ornately decorated with beadwork made by the Ojibwe women. Also known as Bandolier bags, similar bags are made and worn by several North American tribes. They are cultural icons among the Ojibwe,. Gashkibidaagan served as a valuable form of exchange and represented leadership and status within the community. The Ojibwe name comes from the word parts, gashk-, meaning "enclosed, attached together" and -bid, "tie it" The English word bandolier, defined as "broad belt, belt, or scarf worn over one shoulder and under the other" comes from the French word bandouliere meaning "shoulder belt" and traces back to the spanish bandoera, the diminutive of banda "sash." A bandolier was a broad belt that had loops to hold powder charges or cartridges European infantry soldiers wore them as early as the 16th century. A bandolier bag may be worn either across the shoulder to the side or in front like an apron.
Bandolier bags are often incorrectly called medicine bags.