How to Make Lenape Indian Jewelry
The Lenni Lenape people, also known as the Delaware Indians, were the people who lived in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware before European settlers arrived. These people were members of the Algonquin nation and lived nomadically, traveling with the seasons to hunt, farm and fish. The Lenape people are known for their matrilineal family structure, which means that they traced kinship through the maternal lines of a family. Lenape people made jewelry out of leather, animal bones, antlers, seashells and local stones such as jasper or slate. You can make your own Lenape jewelry at home.
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Things You'll Need
- Thin strips of leather
- Half of an oyster shell
- Drill with very thin bit
- Jasper beads
- Slate beads
Instructions
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Measure a leather strip around your neck. Drape the strip around you so that it hangs at the same length you want your necklace to hang. Pinch the ends of the strip together at the back of your neck and measure an additional five inches down each side of the strip. Trim the leather at these points.
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2
Drill two very small holes at the hinge of your oyster shell. Drill slowly so that you don't crack the shell or accidentally drill in the wrong spot. The two holes should be directly across from one another at the hinge so that you can lace the leather through them.
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Lace the leather strip through the holes in the oyster shell. Place the shell in the exact middle of the leather strip. Tie a small, tight knot in the leather at either side of the shell so that the shell is fixed in place.
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Select jasper and slate beads with holes that are big enough to lace your leather though. These stones are harder to drill through than the shell, so it's better to buy the beads with the holes already drilled. Jasper comes in an array of muted colors ranging from greens and blues to reds and oranges. Select whatever color appeals to you, or a variety of colors if you like. You can buy polished, round beads, or if you want to go for a more natural look you can buy beads with a rougher cut. Slate comes in grey and black, also in a variety of different finishes. Choose the colors and designs that most appeal to you.
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Lace the beads onto your leather strip, on either side of the shell, making sure that you are placing the same number of beads on each side of the strip. You want the weight at each side to be even, but you can arrange the colors and patterns of the beads as you see fit. You can add leather knots in between groupings of beads, if you want the leather to be a more prominent feature of your necklace. You can also choose to bead the leather only partially, so that the shell and beads cover the lower half of the necklace while the upper is leather.
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Tie the leather in tight knots where the beads end at both sides so that your beads are fixed in place. Drape the necklace around your neck once more at the length you want it to hang. Pinch the ends where they meet at the back of your neck with both hands to mark these spots. Remove the necklace from your neck and tie small knots in the leather at the spots you were pinching to mark the spot where the necklace ties.
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Put on the necklace and tie the loose ends in a bow at the back of your neck. Tying the necklace in a bow rather than a knot will extend the life of the leather, make it easier to remove and also make the back of the necklace more interesting.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are a kid, get an adult to help you drill the holes in the oyster shell.
References
- Photo Credit shell of oyster image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
