Parfleche Container 3 Set

Parfleche Container 3 Set

Add this brightly painted Parfleche Container 3 Set to your collection! The crafters created these small Parfleches from rawhide.  They painted geometric designs on them with red, black, blue, yellow, and green paint. They added red wool along the sides and stitched the pieces together using Braintanned deerskin leather lacing. Each container comes with Braintanned deerskin leather lacing closure ties.

The set comes with three sizes: one measuring 6.25″ × 6.25″, another measuring 5.5″ × 4.5″, and a smaller one measuring 3″ × 3″. This vibrant trio brings traditional artistry and striking color to any display or collection. The names Ron Koppenhoefer and Ed Swanson appear on the back of two of them.  One of a Kind!

A parfleche (pronounced par‑flesh) is a traditional Native American container made from rawhide. The word comes from the French parer (“to parry or shield”) and flèche (“arrow”), referring to the way the heavy hide could deflect arrows. Rawhide also served as a durable material for shields. To create a parfleche, makers—especially those from the Great Plains region—used untanned animal hide, often buffalo, and decorated the surface with intricate geometric designs painted with natural pigments from plants and minerals. These versatile containers held food, clothing, personal belongings, and important cultural items, and they played an essential role in the mobile lifestyle of many Plains communities, as people could easily carry them on horseback during travel and hunting expeditions.

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