Chicken Dance Bell Instructions

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

Use the Chicken Dance Bell Kit 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.

To make Chicken Dance Bells, you will need:

2 Pieces of Cowhide Strap Leather (36″ x 1″)
28 1.25″ Sleigh Bells
3 Pieces of Deerskin Leather Lacing 5′ long
8 Yards of Coated Wire
Leather Hole Punch or Leather Awl

You will find most of these supplies along with the following Chicken Bell Dance Kit Instructions in our Chicken Bell Dance Kit!

Getting Started:

1. Hold the Cowhide Strap Leather Strip against your leg to determine how long it needs to be. The Cowhide Strap Leather should be long enough to extend from your waist to your ankle. Trim off any extra.

The number of Sleigh Bells that you attach will be determined by the overall length of the Cowhide Strap Leather.

2. Starting 3″ from the top of the Cowhide Strap Leather, mark the position of the first Sleigh Bell. Mark the positions of the remaining Sleigh Bells every 2″ until you reach the bottom end of the Cowhide Strap Leather. Return to the top of the Cowhide Strap Leather and mark a spot 1/2″ down from the position of the first Sleigh Bell. Continue to mark positions of each Sleigh Bell 2″ lower than the second top spot. When you have finished, you will have marks for two holes for each Sleigh Bell.

Repeat this step with the second piece of Cowhide Strap Leather.

3. Use a Leather Punch or Leather Awl to punch holes in the Cowhide Strap Leather where you made your marks.

Attach the Sleigh Bells:

4. Take 4 yards of the Coated Wire and fold it twice to make a 1 yard piece of 4 ply Coated Wire. Use this to lace the Sleigh Bells in place. (Go up through the first hole, through the loop on the Sleigh Bell, and back down through the second hole. Run the Coated Wire along the back to the next hole.) Knot the Coated Wire at each end of the Cowhide Strap Leather.

Repeat this step with the remaining 4 yards of Coated Wire and the second piece of Cowhide Strap Leather.

Finish Your Chicken Dance Bells:

5. Mark holes at the waist, knee and ankle for the Deerskin Leather Lacing ties. Punch the holes with a Leather Punch or Leather Awl. Cut the Deerskin Leather Lacing into 6 12″ long pieces. Thread these Deerskin Leather Lacing pieces through the holes and use them to tie the Chicken Dance Bells to your legs.