Glossary

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Parfleche Bag (Soo’tsii’man in Blackfoot) This was the Blackfoot’s version of a suitcase. The parfleche was generally used to carry clothing and food items. Before the horse, tanned hides were used to create the parfleche, but after the horse arrived, rawhide was used. The rawhide version was more durable and often painted with intricate geometrical designs.

Pipe Bag (Sooyah’koyiinimaan in Blackfoot)

Within the Blackfoot culture smoking was used primarily for ceremonial purposes. Traditionally, smoking pipes were made from stone and consisted of a large stem ending with a carved bowl. Sometimes the bowls were elaborately carved to resemble a buffalo, horse, fish or even human faces. Pipe bags were made by the women and elaborately adorned. The bags were carried by hand or looped over the belt.

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