How to make inexpensive hoops that stand out

This article was originally published in Spring of 1988 in Whispering Wind Magazine by Art Tate.

The hoop dance is one of those special dances which enlivens any program or powwow. I have also found that it is a superb way to teach advanced Indian dancing to young people. Finding hoops can sometimes be a problem; and buying them can be expensive if you can find a source. This article will explain a simple, inexpensive and effective way to make hoops. And, of all the various hoops I have found, these are the most satisfactory for dancing.

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A Hand Drum is a traditional Native American instrument. You will see them played at Powwows, ceremonies and drum circles. Make your own Single Sided Hoop Hand Drum and use as is, or decorate yours with paint!

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Most women wear Dance Shawls into the Powwow Circle. Dance Shawls can be simple fabric blanks with chainette or ribbon fringe.  Although some women create elaborately decorated shawls for Fancy Dancing.  They embellish their shawls with ribbonwork, embroidery or beadwork. Make your own simple shawl and add the embellishments you want!

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Handmade Leather Moccasins

Make a basic pair of pucker-toe soft sole moccasin with cuffs. Cuffs can be worn down or tied up for extra protection. Everyday moccasins were left plain, but they can be decorated with beads, ribbon or wool. You will need Leather and 1/8″ leather lacing, paper for the patters, awl, scissors and marking pen. We have an Eastern woodland’s Moccasin Kit with the materials you need to make your own!

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How to make a Wampum Bead Bracelet

A Wampum Bead Bracelet will perfectly complement your Eastern Woodlands Regalia! Follow these step by step instructions to learn how to use a loom to make your own.

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Bead Weaving with a Bead Loom

Use our Ojibwa Bead Loom or our Mighty Mini Bead Loom to create strips of beadwork. After you finish your beaded strip you can use them as straps, belts, and bracelets. You can also attach beaded loom strips to other items like shirts, leggins, moccasins, and bags. Bead weaving on a loom is easy to learn to do and can be done with a variety of beads including Seed Beads, Pony Beads, and Wampum Beads.

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Lazy Stitch Beading Instructions

Native Americans of the Plains commonly use Lazy Stitch to create beaded designs on clothing and accessories. Instead of creating a Loomwork Strip that you later attach to the item, with Lazy Stitch you sew the beads directly to the fabric or leather.   The design should be drawn to actual finished scale on a piece of paper then traced onto the work surface. Designs that are going to appear on opposite sides of an item should be reversed for a mirrored effect. For example, on a vest, the design should appear as a mirror image on each side.

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Buffalo Horn Choker Instructions

How to make a horn choker. 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.

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Traditional Hairpipe 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.

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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
• Imitation 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!

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Crow Loop Necklace Instructions

The Native Americans of the Northern Plains often wear Crow Loop Necklaces.  These necklaces feature multiple strands of beads strung between two leather strips. Crafters also add Deerskin Leather fringe to the sides. Wearers add shell, metal or beaded rosette conchos to the top or the center. Additional drops can personalize each necklace.

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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.

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Gustoweh Headdress Instructions

An Eastern Woodlands Gustoweh (“Real Hat”) is a traditional Native American headdress. This is one of the most appropriate headdresses for Eastern Woodlands Indian Regalia. Follow these Gustoweh Headdress Instructions to make your own ‘Real Hat’!

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How to Make a Porcupine Roach. The Porcupine Roach is one of the most beautiful and practical headpieces of Native Americans. 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 

Make a Plains Style Breastplate. The Comanche originally crafted the Hairpipe Breastplate in the mid-19th century, and many other communities across the Great Plains later adopted the design. The term “Hairpipe” refers to the long, slim, hollow beads made from animal bone that artisans use to create these 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

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It’s Easy to Make your own Chicken Dance Bells!

Use the Chicken Dance Bell Instructions by The Wandering Bull Native American Trading Post to made your own Chicken Dance Bells. Chicken Dance Bells are long enough to extend from the waist to the ankle. They are tied in three places, at the ankle, just above the knee and to a belt at the waist. The Wandering Bull Trading Post has everything you need to make your own Chicken Dance Bells. Use the suggested supplies here, or customize your Chicken Dance Bells with your preferred supplies. Continue reading Chicken Dance Bell 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

Make a Bolo Tie…

What is a Bolo Tie?

A Bolo Tie is kind of a cross between a necktie and a necklace.  It blends elements of both a necktie and a necklace. Craftsmen often fashion it from a braided leather cord and embellish the ends with decorative metal tips. The focus of the Bolo Tie is a slide that features a decorative item like a stone cabochon, a beaded rosette, a silver concho, or other items that have a flat back that you can attach to the slide. Continue reading Make Your Own Bolo Tie!

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, LLC we cut our own Top Grain Deerskin into Continue reading Deerskin Lacing & Lace Maker Tool

The Legend of Dream Catchers

Learn about dream catcher history. Traditionally, the Ojibwe construct dream catchers or “dreamcatchers” by stringing sinew strands in a web around a small round or tear-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. Continue reading Dream Catchers

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