Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-11-06

Ambitious plans for the coming
year Of work in the Blackfeet In
dian craft shop are being fOrmu-
lated by Mrs. Jessie Schultz and
other SPONSORS of this unique prof.
ect, which returned nearly $1,000
20 Indian participants last year
and which has attracted the atten-
ton of Indian bureau officials In
Washington.
Mrs. Schultz, community worker at
the Blackfeet agency, announced that
/ a recent loan of 5000 from the Black
/ feet tribal council will make possible
( inclusion of a larger number of In
! dams in craft shop activities during
| the year. The loan will be used as a
revolving fund for purchase Of ma
terialS for craft work and will be
supplemented by a $500 grant from
the Indian rehabilitation service. In
structors for the shop are being sup
piled by the WPA division Of education.
Only One Year Old
In a little more than a year the
Blackfeet craft shop has developed
from an idea TO working organization,
which makes 1t possible for many In
dams to earn small income from
their hand work. The idea originated
with Mrs Ethel B. Arnett, director of
the WPA division of education, who
decried the fact that so much Of the
curio goods sold to tourists In the
Glacier park district was imported
from foreign countries, while there was
no shop where authentic Blackfeet
articles could be purchased. Mrs
Arnett suggested to Mrs. Schultz that
a shop to make and sell real Blackfeet
handicraft might be established on the
reservation, and the shop was opened
in July, 1886.
More than $50 Indians, largely full
bloodS, are now reviving the arts Of
their forefathers and making goods for
sale in the craft shop. Dolls, jackets,
bags, coin purses, moccaSins, necklaces
and many other articles are being made
and it Is the rule Of the shop that all
material accepted must be authentic
Blackfeet work, bearing authentic de-
signs.
Perhaps the best source Of informa-
ton about ancient lore has been Arrow
Top-Knot, an 80-year-old Indian who
is one of the few who remember how
to make old-time Blackdeet dishes.
Until about 1750 the Blacldeet used
dishes made of cottonwood or rawhide.
Then white traders introduced metal
utensils and the old way Of making
dishes was discarded. This winter
Arrow Top-Knot will make supply OF
the old wood and rawhide dishes for
sale next symmetrical Blackfeet
dishes. painted with the sacred paint
and all made in the form Of some
animal.
Arrows and bows for the craft shop
are made by Peter After Buffalo, one
of the oldest and most enthusiastic
workers in the cooperative society.
Popular with tourists are suede and
blIckskin jackets made by Blackfeet
women. These jackets, beautifully tail
ored and beaded and carrying out at
the fringes the style of the mems war
shirts and the %onlen's dress Of the I
old DAYS, have buttons OF hand /
carved elk horn. The jackets have sold
so well it Is hoped next year the craft /
shop will furnish permanent employ
ment to a crippled Indian youth who
is studying tailoring at the Chemawa
Indian school. Also popular with reser-
Walton visitors are Indian dolls ana
every doll sold in the Black1eet shop
wears authentic Blackfeet dress and
real Blacldeet paraphernalia sucn as
worn by the Indians before the advent
of white men. Many Of the dolls rep
Indian women wear beaded
robes. carry a knife and sharpening
stone and have tied to their belts the
wooden ladle Blackfeet women always
carried for Swimming soup.
Last year one Of the older women
brought to the shop doll that mad
a peculiar strand Of beads about the
neck. When she was asked about The
beads she explained that they had be-
longed to her mother and were the
kind of beads worn by the Indians be-
fore traders introduced glass BEADS.
Mrs. Schultz and her WPA assistants
- hfcfcru nf thaCQ r0re
beads and learned that they were made
from the seed of the the silver berry
bush. The women make soup OF the
berries and add fat, bits of meat and
,an1us root or wild turnip. After the
soup is used the seeds remaining are
nierced while still warm and soft and
when strung with bright modern beads
make an attractive and color1u neck
lace.
One of the most ancient arts of the
Indians is quill Work. This
work was done by the Indians before
The easier bead work came into fashion.
When the Indians were asked TO 90
1uill work for sale to tourists, they
refused because the ancient ceremony
If preparing the quilts was forgotten
and unless the quilts were readied with
he right ceremony they would be taboo
md the participants would be blinded,
according to the old belief. After much
-esearch, WPA instructors learned from
IN old Indian how the ceremony Of
preparing the quilts should be per-
formed. For the first time in many
years ageless rites will be conducted
his winter and four Indian women
will make quill bags and other objects
Tor sale in the shop.
Indian paintings, carvings and viii
ow backrestS are also for sale in the
raft shop. Among younger Indian
workers whose work shows promise is
Nike Swims- Under, whose carvings in
wood were sold in the shop last
summer.
SEASON TO BE RESCINDED
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