Parfleche

Parfleche is a type of container made from buffalo rawhide that Plains people fashioned into containers and decorated with brightly colored geometrical designs.

A parfleche is a Native American rawhide bag, typically used for holding dried meats and pemmican.

The word was originally used by French fur traders (it was not a word used by the Native Americans). It derives from the French "parer" meaning "parry" or "defend", and "flèche" meaning "arrow", so called because the hide was tough enough to be used as a shield.

The original bags had graphics that were actually maps, general geographical depictions of the surrounding land. The river as a circle of life and mountains were the most common features.[1]

See also

References

  1. "Native American and First Nations' GIS" Native Geography, Dec 2000

External links

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: A Compendium of Useful Information for the Practical Man/Indian Lore/Indian Bags


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.