62 INJM LN8 01 THE PLAINS. 



The Parfleche. A number of characteristic bags were 

 made of rawhide. The most conspicuous being the par- 

 fleche. Its simplicity of construction is inspiring and 

 its usefulness scarcely to be over-estimated. The ap- 

 proximate form for a parfleche is shown in Fig. 19, 

 and its completed form in Fig. 20. The side outlines 

 as in Fig. 19 are irregular and show great variations, 

 none of which can be taken as certainly characteristic. 

 To fill the parfleche, it is opened out as in Fig. 19, and 

 the contents arranged in the middle. The large flap 

 is then brought over and held by lacing a', a". The 

 ends are then turned over and laced b', b". The 

 closed parfleche may then be secured by both or either 

 of the looped thongs at c', c" '. 



Primarily, parfleche were used for holding pemmican 

 (p. 26) though dried meat, dried berries, tallow, etc., 

 found their way into them when convenient. In 

 recent years, they seem to have more of a decorative 

 than a practical value; or rather, according to our 

 impression, they are cherished as mementos of buffalo 

 days, the great good old time of Indian memory, 

 always appropriate and acceptable as gifts. The usual 

 fate of a gift parfleche is to be cut into moccasin soles. 

 With the possible exception of the Osage, the parfleche 

 was common among all these tribes but seldom en- 

 countered elsewhere. 



Rawhide Bags. A rectangular bag (Fig. 21) was 

 also common and quite uniform even to the modes of 

 binding. They were used by women rather than by 

 men. The larger ones may contain skin-dressing tools, 



