How to Make a Real Traditional Parfleche
Best known for their beautifully painted designs, parfleche are leather or rawhide bags employed by several Native American tribes across the Great Plains. Although simple in design, they provide a secure way of carrying a variety of goods, including dried meat, small tools and clothing. Making a traditional parfleche is surprisingly easy and requires only a few tools and materials, but for your effort you will be rewarded with a beautiful and long-lasting bag true to traditional design.
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Things You'll Need
- Leather or rawhide
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Heavy-duty scissors or shears
- Awl
- Leather or rawhide lacing
Instructions
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Cut your leather or rawhide into a rectangular shape measuring 30 inches wide and 40 inches long. Due to the toughness of leather and rawhide, heavy duty shears are best for this task.
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Using your ruler, measure 10 inches down along the long edge of the leather. Make a mark. Repeat this at all four corners. Create a second set of marks 8 inches from the corner along the short edges. Draw a straight line from the marks along the long edges to the marks along the short edges, creating a triangle shape.
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3
Cut at an angle along your hand-drawn guidelines. If done properly, your leather will be roughly pointed at each end.
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4
Measure halfway down the length of the long side of the leather and make a mark with your pencil. Punch a hole through the mark using your awl. Repeat on the other long side.
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Punch one or two holes at the pointed tip at each end of your leather, depending on how sturdy you wish the closure to be.
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Cut two 6-inch lengths of the leather or rawhide lacing. These are used to close your parfleche.
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Fold the long edges of your parfleche toward each other so they meet in the middle. String a length of leather through the holes and tie it in a sturdy yet easily untied knot.
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Fold the pointed edge toward the middle so they overlap. Insert the leather or rawhide lacing through the holes, creating a crisscross pattern on the front. You now have a completed parfleche. Decorate it with paint, feathers or beads, if desired.
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Tips & Warnings
Always use an awl on a workbench or table, never on your lap.
