19th C. Comanche Painted Rawhide Parfleche | Long Hide Fringe

Native American, Comanche, ca. 19th century CE. A small flat rawhide case, or parfleche, with a pointed envelope flap closed by a hide tie. The pale hide is painted with geometric shapes in salmon red, grass green, and slate blue. Triangles, bars, and hourglass forms, each edged with a thin darker line, fit together in a balanced, mirrored layout. The back is painted more plainly with vertical green and blue bands and has a twisted cord loop at the top. Long hide fringe runs down both laced side seams. Hung from a saddle, the case would have swung its fringe with the horse’s every step. The word "parfleche" comes from French fur traders. It is usually traced to "parer" (to parry) and "flèche" (arrow), because thick rawhide was tough enough to turn an arrow. Over time the trade term came to mean the painted rawhide containers made across the Plains. Besides flat cases like this one, Plains women made parfleche cylinders, folded envelopes, and boxes. Each form was suited to a different load, from dried meat and pemmican to clothing, ceremonial regalia, and personal treasures. Making and painting parfleche was women's work. Hides were stretched, scraped, and painted while still damp, before they were cut and folded. Designs were often laid out with straight edges and drawn with porous bone or wooden applicators charged with earth and plant pigments. The result is a disciplined geometric vocabulary of triangles, bars, and framed fields, which the maker composed with an eye to symmetry. The Comanche, a mounted people of the Southern Plains, were among the most mobile nations of the nineteenth century. For a people who moved this often, light and durable rawhide containers were essential. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 206023

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