Parfleche Container

Vintage Painted Rawhide Parfleche Container

Add this brightly painted Parfleche Container to your collection! The crafter made this large Parfleche from Rawhide.  He painted it with Red, Blue, Yellow and Green paints in geometric designs. It comes with Braintanned Deerskin Leather Lacing ties.

A parfleche (pronounced par-flesh) is a traditional Native American container made from rawhide. The word “parfleche” comes from the French words “parer” (to parry or shield) and “flèche” (arrow), because the heavy hide could deflect arrows.  Native Americans also used rawhide to make shields.  To create a parfleche, Native American tribes, particularly those from the Great Plains region,  use rawhide, which is the untanned skin of an animal, usually a buffalo.  They often decorate them with intricate geometric patterns using natural pigments derived from plants and minerals.

Native Americans use versatile Parfleche containers for various purposes, such as storing food, clothing, personal items, or even important tribal documents and artifacts. They were essential to the nomadic lifestyle of many Plains tribes, as they could easily carry them on horseback during their migrations and hunting expeditions.

This Container measures approximately 27″ long  x 14″ wide.  It opens to twice that length. It is in very good condition.  One of a Kind!

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Read the Denver Art Museum Leaflet Parfleches and Other Rawhide Articles