![]() ![]() Textiles have long been objects of art and utility for Native Americans. Tribal art is traditionally crafted with earth-friendly materials that respect the environment. This particular relationship can be seen in Crow parfleche.Īs part of thoughtful home decor, antique and vintage Native American objects - works created by Native American artists and artisans - can bring rich textures and colors into a space.Īrt collecting can be done in a socially and environmentally conscious way that reinvests in local communities. For others, it seems that their parfleche designs shared an interesting artistic dialogue with their beadwork, indicating a more casual exchange of design motifs. For some tribes, such as the Cheyenne, the decorative processes which surrounded parfleche production were sacred. As such, many tribeswomen were deeply committed, some even religiously, to decorating their parfleche either with incised or painted motifs that were significant to them and/or the tribe. Believed to have evolved from tattooing, it had always been used as a conduit through which tribal and individual identity could be expressed. Even though parfleche painting developed simultaneously with beading and weaving, painting as an artistic tradition held particular importance in tribal culture. In fact, it is in large part due to the parfleche that tribal style emerged. Derived from parer (to parry or turn aside) and fleche (arrow), the word parfleche was coined by 17th century French Canadian voyageurs and used to describe indigenous objects made from rawhide.ĭespite their common utilitarian function, parfleches served as one of the major mediums through which Plains Indian tribes could develop their long-standing tradition of painting. In fact, it was because of the containers’ robusticity and variety that parfleches earned their name in the Anglo world. They were designed to carry and protect within them anything from medicinal bundles to seasonal clothing or food. Parfleches were, out of necessity, robust and versatile objects. Collectively, these tribes inhabited an area which encompassed the entirety of the Plains, as well as the parts of the Southwest, the Transmontane and Western Plateau regions. So critical were they to a nomadic existence that over 40 tribes are known to have historically produced parfleches. Functioning essentially as protective travelling suitcases, they enabled the nomadic tribes to effectively pursue buffalo herds and migrate between seasonal camps. Parfleches are rawhide containers which were fundamental to the Plains way of life. Makes a stunning Abstract Painting when hung on the wall or can be placed on a shelf or stand. ![]() Vintage antique 19th century Native American Parfleche container in an envelope form, finely painted in colors of green, yellow and blue in an abstract geometric design by a Crow artist (North American Plains Indian). ![]()
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