Parfleche is a hide -usually buffalo’s hide- dried by being stretched on a frame after the hair has been removed. Plains Indian headwomen, particularly from the Cheyenne tribe, use parfleche flat bags like the ones in the image to store and carry sacred medicines. The bags are about 40 x 35 cm. (15.7 x 13.7 in.). They are decorated with complex geometric motifs and symbols designed by the headwoman and executed by skillful women artists. It is in human nature to have a fascination with bags and specialized containers –from purses to cell phone pouches we see that every day in our own society- but it is rare to find societies where bag making is such a big deal. I assume that the care put in crafting these bags is directly proportional to the importance that Indian society places in the medicines that will be contained in them: a precious content deserves a worthy container. This maxim is a design lesson and helps put things in perspective. It is interesting to reflect upon how we operate in our own society in relation to that maxim: for instance we use the cheapest possible bag (the plastic bag described in the former post) to carry what should probably be the most precious content, the food we eat. Good to see how there are still societies –unlike ours- who have their priorities straight. This object merges meaning, functionality and artistry under the ambition of permanence.
