1 04 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XVI 1 1, 



Many bags, pouches, and receptacles of the Arapaho 

 are made of stiff white skin, from which the hair has been 

 scraped. The most typical form is that called "parfleche." 

 This consists of a single piece of rawhide, generally half a 

 buffalo-skin, approximately rectangular. The two long sides 

 are folded inward to meet in the middle. The opening where 

 the two long edges come together is closed by turning over 

 the two short ends of the folded hide so that they also meet 

 in the middle, where they are tied together (see Fig. 3, Plate 

 xviii). The rawhide is stiff and keeps its folded shape, but is 

 elastic enough to allow of the parfleche being pressed very flat 

 when empty, and widely distended when filled. The two 

 upper covers of the parfleche are painted each with the same 

 design, which is rectangular in shape, and composed chiefly of 

 triangles. The parfleches are used particularly for storing and 

 transporting dried meat. They are also convenient and much 

 used for holding clothing and household articles. They are 

 usually made in pairs. In travelling, one is hung on each 

 side of a horse, the painted side of course being outside. 



Bags or pouches, when made of rawhide, are also made of 

 one piece. There is a fold along what constitutes the lower 

 edge of the bag; the edges along the two sides are sewed to- 

 gether. The top is covered by a triangular flap, which is 

 part of the back, and is drawn down over the front of the bag 

 (Plate XXI, Fig. i). 



Sometimes a somewhat larger bag is made without the flap 

 to cover the opening. The fold in the hide is along one of 

 its long sides ; the other edge is stitched. Or the bag may be 

 composed of two pieces sewed together along both of their 

 long edges. The two ends are composed of soft hide or cloth. 

 The opening is merely a slit in one of these ends. This kind 

 of bag is more distendible than the simple pouch-like form. 

 It is used chiefly to store food. One is shown in Fig. 3, Plate 

 XXI. The more common form of rawhide bag is used for 

 gathering berries and fruits. 



Almost all rawhide bags are painted on the back, though 

 the design is simpler than that on the front. Parfleches, how- 

 ever, are unpainted on the back or bottom. 



