Parfleche Painting: Plains Indians Design

About This Event

This 1-day workshop will explore the Indigenous design practice of parfleche. The name parfleche was initially used by French fur traders and derives from the French language parer meaning "to parry" or "to defend", and flèche meaning "arrow". Parfleche was used to describe tough rawhide shields carried by Plains Indian warriors but was later used primarily for decorated rawhide containers. Plains Indian tribes often had an abundant source of hides in the buffalo they hunted, but, as they were nomadic, they had little opportunity to tan the skins. Parfleche, or rawhide, was prepared by cleaning and dehairing the skin and then by stretching it and allowing it to dry in the sun. This process created a stiff but durable leather that was used for many items, including bags, boxes, envelopes, and war shields. Designs historically consisted of geometric shapes and symbols in primary colors. Today, many contemporary Plains Indian artists evolved the idea of parfleche by making earrings, bracelets, wallets, etc. Students will explore parfleche techniques and create their own keychain or earrings using their newfound knowledge.