Sti'Tumma had always wanted beautiful beaded "shooflies" on her saddle. She made them from saved horsehair, folded in half, wrapped in buckskin, and adorned with beadwork. These decorations were clipped onto the saddle's breastplate, cinch, and rear to sway with the horse's movement and help keep flies away.
On a beautiful Saturday morning, Sti'Tumma prepared for a 20-mile trail ride. Despite back pain, she stayed on her horse, Zoomer, adorned with ten carefully placed shooflies and wearing a new ribbon shirt. She looked elegant as she met the riders and collected fees.
During the ride, an elderly couple approached her. The wife asked, "Are you a medicine lady? You have all those scalps with beadwork on your saddle. How did you get anyone to touch scalps to bead them?"
Sti'Tumma burst into laughter. Her brother, the lead guide, stopped the group. She used the break to explain the shooflies. The trail crew was amazed that the city riders still held outdated stereotypes about Native Americans and scalping.
Since that ride, Sti'Tumma's sister, Gilly, has been beading "imitation scalps" to sell during lunch breaks on trail rides.