Serpent Sideplate (FOUS 1414) - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

Once a Northwest Trade gun wore out or broke, American Indians sometimes removed serpent sideplates from the gun stocks and used them for other purposes. Some individuals among the Blackfeet, for instance, fashioned decorative breastplates from strung-together sideplates like this one. While a Europeans viewed breastplates as a piece of chest armor, ones that American Indians made from serpent sideplates were more likely served as decorative elements or spiritual purposes.