Deerfeathers

Each bag is custom made for your drum, and is therefore unique. Once the color is chosen and hides are found, the bag design evolves from the edges of the hides.

The pictured bags were made for clients. In most cases the suede side of the hide is used, and the style is decidedly Native American. The smooth side of the hide can also be used and fringe dispensed with for a style that is not southwest.  

Red hornbeads are used on this gold bag. These beads are made from bone and come in various colors. Native Americans often used them to make breastplates.

All bags are lined on the back of the inside and under the top flat to provide some protection for the drum head. There are lacing straps at the top front to snug the drum in tightly. 

 The rattle on this smoke bag belongs to the owner.  Rattles, drum beaters, pendants, beads of significance to the owner can all be incorporated into the design.

See Animal Spirits in the gallery for options that I have available in my studio. If you do not see what you want there, I can check with my suppliers for something special for you.

 In the market for a rattle? Try Dianne Lorden, a Shaman in PA. Her rattles can be seen at www.shamanicart.webs.com. 

 All lace is hand made. The lacing process involves gluing the pieces to be laced together at the edges, using a special tool to make precision holes in the skins, trimming the edges and lacing them together using a whip or cross stitch. Native Americans used deer bones as needles to do this lacing.

If you are looking for a Shaman, I highly recommend Susan McClellan. She teaches Shamanism, does private transformational coaching and gathers wise woman from time to time in her wonderful home in Pawlet, VT near Manchester, VT. She also teaches and sees clients in VT and Wilmington, DE. Visit www.shamansong.com.

Supplies for my bags come from speciality shops in the southwest, pow wows across the country and some quality on-line bead shops. All hides are from Tandy leather as they are the most consistent in quality and color that I have so far identified. The found feather on this saddle tan bag belongs to the owner. 

 We adorned this 18 inch smoke bag with celtic charms and beads. We matched colored turkey feathers to the owner's personal rattle.

 Black hides are difficult to work with as they do not show shadows. In this instance I used saddle tan edges and fringe to highlight the deer's unique hide. The feathers are turkey, the concho is from an old southwest style handbag. 

 Bags use from two to four layers of hide edges on the flap to reflect the uniqueness of each deer. Cones made from flattened and rolled aluminum and tin are used to fasten feathers onto the bags. Native Americans frequently use tin cones, or jangle cones as they are sometimes called, to create sound on dance regalia.

Found feathers are frequently used. In this gold bag, found crow feathers and purchased, sewn feathers are used. Found feathers in my area usually include crow, goose and sometimes vulture.  I can also send you instructions on how to affix your own found feathers and the tools with which to add them to your bag.

Rabbit is used to line the flap and the inside back of each bag to help protect the head of the drum. Rabbit fur is also sometimes incorporated into the design. Pelts are white, black, natural and occasionally fawn colored, like this one. 

 Deer were prized and honored by Native Americans who used the hides as blankets, clothes and bags. Hides were scraped of hair, skin and muscle, soaked with the deer brain to soften the hide, wrung dry by twisting around a tree, hung over a fire and smoked to the desired color and poked often with a stick to continue to soften it before it was fashioned into some form useful to them.

From time to time, as on this smoke bag, the hide edges make a wonderfully unusual strap.