Native Indian Bags and Pouches Facts and information about the History of Clothing and regalia of Native American Indians and their Bags and Pouches. As the Native American Indians of the Great Plains and other regions did not have pockets in their clothing they made a variety of different bags and pouches as a convenient way to carry their possessions. The bags and pouches were both decorative and functional. They were used to carry articles such as mirrors, face and body paints, “medicine” items, good luck charms, pipes, sewing equipment, dried food and tobacco. This article contains interesting facts and information about the bags and pouches used by Native American Indian tribes.
Native American Clothing - Bags and Pouches The history of traditional or ceremonial dress and regalia worn by Native American Indians is a fascinating subject. The following fact sheet contains interesting facts and information on Bags and Pouches. Native Indians did not have pockets so a bag or a pouch was a necessary item. There were many different types, designs and styles, they were highly practical articles but contained extremely important articles and were often decorated with fringes, beads and quills.
Bags and Pouches Fact Sheet for kids
Bags and Pouches Fact 1: Native American Indians did not have pockets, but they did wear belts. A bag or pouch was often inserted over a belt, a convenient way of transporting items on hunting or trading expeditions or when they moved camp
Bags and Pouches Fact 2: A bag or pouch was usually made of deerskin or another animal hide and decorated with fringes, paint, quills and beads
Bags and Pouches Fact 3: Quivers, tobacco pouches, and medicine bags were also made from pelts of panthers, otter, raccoon, reptiles, birds and beaver
Bags and Pouches Fact 4: Used for a variety of functions there many different types of bag and pouch including the parfleche pouch, medicine bag and pemmican bags
Bags and Pouches Fact 5: The Parfleche was principally used to carry Pemmican. Pemmican was a high-energy food that was long lasting, easily transportable and ideal on journeys. Tribes stored their supplies of pemmican in bags that were usually made of buffalo hide or deerskin. This type of bag or pouch was adopted by the Europeans and became known by the Americans as saddle bags or as a parfleche by the French.
Bags and Pouches Fact 6: The tobacco bag or tobacco pouch held items such as a pipe, tobacco, fire striker, flint and tinder. Tobacco bags were largely ceremonial and considered to be works of art.
Bags and Pouches Fact Sheet for kids
Bags and Pouches Fact 7: A Medicine Bag was a sacred container that contained symbolic and ritual items used by the 'Medicine Man', or Shaman, of the tribe
Bags and Pouches Fact 8: The Quiver was another form of bag or pouch carried by the hunters and warriors of the tribes. A Quiver was a portable sheath that contained arrows. Quivers were made of extremely tough material as it had be strong enough so that the arrows would not pierce the quiver. The arrows were typically placed tip side down in the quiver. Knife Sheaths were also another indispensable item.
Bags and Pouches Fact 9: Tribes such as the Cherokee and Chippewa used a should bag called a Bandolier. These were originally copied them from bags carried by European soldiers
Bags and Pouches Fact 10: Early bags and pouches were closed with a drawstring
Bags and Pouches Fact 11: Bead and quill embroidery were used to decorate the containers. Paintwork and fringes were also added to complete the decorations
Bags and Pouches Fact 12: Different designs were used on the front and the back
Bags and Pouches Fact 13: Decoration included geometric abstract designs, pictorial imagery, and floral motifs. Imagery also represented sacred symbols and deeds of war
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