This brass thimble was worn to protect the finger and to push the needle through material while sewing. Brass thimbles were frequently trade items between the trader and Native American groups. Sometimes the new owner would punch a hole in the end and suspend a bead inside, making a tinkler or small bell. It was recovered from the Fanning site in Doniphan County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1981. The Fanning site was a Late Ceramic to early Contact period village occupied most likely by the Kansa.