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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Northern Minnesota Novelties Indian Symbols and their meanings

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09767.01 Author/Creator: Northern Minnesota Novelties Place Written: Crosslake, Minnesota Type: Postcard Date: 1960 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 8.8 cm, Width: 14 cm Order a Copy

One postcard of Native American symbols published by Northern Minnesota Novelties dated 1960. Features various pictographs and their meanings. The pictographs are listed on an illustration of stretched hide. Some included pictographs are a large mountain meaning abundance, a rattlesnake jaw meaning strength, and a cactus flower meaning courtship. In the upper left corner of the image is a caricature of a Native American. The rear of the postcard is blank and features an explanation of the front reading, "The earliest writings of the American Indians were those of signs and symbols. These symbols are always apparent in their handicraft and jewelry."

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