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Buffalo-Hide Parfleche

Buffalo-Hide Parfleche

Explore the Native American parfleche, a beautifully crafted and designed carry-all used during transportation.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Recycled Paper Grocery Bags
  • String

Steps

  • Step 1

    A parfleche is a folded carrying bag made out of rawhide and decorated by the Indigenous peoples of the Plains. Some tribes were somewhat sedentary; they lived in villages and raised crops. Others were nomadic and followed herds of bison, so they needed a means of transporting their belongings. The parfleche was tied to their horses on the journey. Talk about some of the nomadic Plains tribes, such as the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Lakota and others. Where did they live? What did they eat? What were some of the customs? Display images of the parfleche. Some were decorated with geometric designs which were traditionally painted by women. Other designs were representational art and those were traditionally painted by men.

  • Step 2

    Have students cut open two paper grocery bags and lay them flat. Then they will lightly wet the bags, wipe off excess water, gently crumple the bags, and then spread them out flat again. Use glue to put the two bags together to make a thick, double layer. (If there is writing on the bag, put that inside so it won't be visible.) Place a heavy object on top to keep it flat while it dries.

  • Step 3

    When the bags are dry students can create a representative design on the outside using crayons. Encourage students to refer to authentic images of parfleches. Cover the outer surface with brown watercolor. When that is dry, punch holes in the four corners and thread a string to create a closure that can be tied.

  • Step 4

    Have a discussion about the items that might have been carried in this forerunner of the suitcase.

Standards

SS: Culture: Through experience, observation, and reflection, identify elements of culture as well as similarities and differences among cultural groups across time and place.

SS: Time, Continuity, and Change: Read, reconstruct, and interpret the past. Imagine the future. Place oneself in various times and spaces and reflect on change.

Adaptations

The thunderbird is a widespread symbolic figure in Native American mythology. Have students learn the significance of this image and some of the stories associated with it.

Ask students to choose and research one of the nomadic Plains tribes. Have them depict these travels and settlement patterns on a hand-drawn map.