Buffalo Horn Choker Instructions

Hairpipe chokers served many different purposes throughout history – They adorned and protected warriors’ necks before battle, and also served to represent social standing. Hairpipe Chokers made with Brass Beads are appropriate for ‘old style’ Regalia.  You can wear Hairpipe Chokers made with Glass Crow Beads with both Traditional Regalia and Contemporary Regalia.

Materials Needed:

• 24 – 1 1/2″ Buffalo Hairpipe
• 7 – Prepunched Spacers
• 66 – Nickel Beads
• 1 – 1 1/2 Abalone Disc
• 2 – 12″ Deerskin Laces
• 3 – Yards Imitation Sinew
• 2 – Metal Feathers
• Craft Glue

You can acquire these materials separately or purchase a Buffalo Horn Choker Kit from The Wandering Bull, LLC.

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Deerskin Neck Pouch Instructions

A Leather Neck Pouch is the perfect accessory to hold your personal medicine items. It will also hold change, gemstones, and small keepsakes of all kinds. You can decorate your Leather Neck Pouch with beadwork, our own Plume Powwow Pins  or Trade Brooches !

Materials Needed:

• 2 Pieces of Deerskin
• 30″ Leather Lace
• 1 Glover’s Needle
• 1 Yard Artificial Sinew

You can acquire these materials separately or purchase a Deerskin Neck Pouch Kit from The Wandering Bull, LLC with the supplies you need to make a Deerskin Neck Pouch!

Continue reading Deerskin Neck Pouch Instructions

Dreamcatcher Instructions

Traditionally, the Ojibwe construct dream catchers or “dreamcatchers” by stringing sinew strands in a web around a small round or teardrop-shaped frame of willow. In a way, it is roughly similar to their method for making snowshoe webbing. The resulting dream catcher, hung above the bed, is used as a charm to protect sleeping people, usually children, from nightmares. Dream interpretation has directly influenced Native American cultural and spiritual beliefs for centuries.  American Indians believe dreams influence the conscious soul of the dreamer, often acting as a means for change in personality traits such as confidence, maturity, kindness, and loyalty.

Materials Needed:

• Metal Ring
• Leather Lace
• Crow Beads (Some suggestions: Czech Glass Crow Beads – India Crow Beads – Plastic Crow Beads)
• Artificial Sinew

You can acquire these materials separately or purchase a Dreamcatcher Kit from the Wandering Bull with the supplies you need to make a Dreamcatcher!

Continue reading Dreamcatcher Instructions

Making a Porcupine Roach

The  Porcupine Roach is one of the most beautiful and practical headpieces of the North American Indian. Many different men’s dance styles use porcupine roaches.  The following directions will show you how to make a long porcupine roach.   You can also use the same technique to make a shorter or a round porcupine roach.

Materials Needed:

• Porcupine hair
• Roach Base
• Imitation Sinew
• Deer Tails
• Large Needle
• Scissors
• Frame for tying rows of hair
• Glass Jar/ Cup  approx. 4″ tall x 3″ wide (to hold the Porcupine hair)
• Roach Stick (a 2.5″ dowel 6″ longer than the finished roach – with a nail in the top to hold the roach in place)
• Elastic style bandage for wrapping completed roach

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Plains Style Breastplate 

The Hairpipe Breastplate has historically been associated with the Comanche. They were first created in the mid 19th century  and were adopted by many other tribes of the Great Plains.  The term “Hairpipe” is used to describe the long, slim, hollow beads made from animal bone that are used to make Breastplates.

How to make a Plains Style Breastplate – 36 rows long:

You can make a longer Breastplate by using more Hairpipe and longer Breastplate  strips

Continue reading Breastplate Plains Style Instructions

Make your own Peyote Stitch Key Ring

The Wandering Bull Native American Trading Shop instructions will show you how to make a Peyote Stitch Key Ring.  You can also use these instructions to decorate fan handles, pens, awl cases, dance sticks and more with Peyote Stitch! Continue reading Peyote Stitch Key Ring Instructions

Deerskin Lacing for Native American Crafts

Deerskin lacing is great for Native American craft-making. You can use it for stringing and tying jewelry (chokers, bracelets and more), garment lacing, making fringe, braiding a headband, or wrapping a metal ring to make a dream catcher. These are just a few examples of uses for soft deerskin leather lace. Here at The Wandering Bull, we cut our own Top Grain Deerskin into Continue reading Deerskin Lacing & Lace Maker Tool

White Sage for Smudging Rituals

White sage for Smudging can be rolled into a smudge stick or left loose in a small pile for purification and cleansing rituals. Smudging rituals are done in several ways. You may see dancers being smudged before they enter the dance circle at a Powwow. White sage is also used in purification rituals on individuals who require healing for physical or psychological illness. Rooms in a new house, or a meditation space can be smudged to cleanse them of negative energy.  Ritual items like crystals can also be smudged to clear them of negative energy. Continue reading White Sage Smudging How To