This boat-shaped buffalo parfleche is sometimes referred to as a “canoe”, but more properly as a flat case. Such cases were paired with squarer fringed parfleche and suspended on saddles. Some scholars have suggests that Crow artists used these parfleche to house personal medicine.

While there are no longer any remaining contents in this flat case, there is an accompanying card which indicates that the parfleche was gifted to H. D. Schultz (1882-1954) by a Crow family. He and his wife Sarah served as missionaries to the Crow in Montana in the early 20th century when such bequeathals were common.

The case’s buffalo hide construction, as well as its very simple design and use of natural pigment all indicated that this case is earlier than most surviving Crow examples. This dating is reinforced by the accompanying collection hard, in which “Mrs. H. D. Schultz” affirms that the bag had belonged to the Crow family “for many generations” prior to its gifting.

Even though the Crow were prolific makers of parfleche in the late 19th century, regrettably not many surviving examples predate the 1870s. Fewer still have accompanying provenance.

8” tall and 13” wide

Collected by H. D. Schulz (1882-1954); handed to by descent; ex Charlene and Erik Lee, OR; ex Stephen Johnston, OH.

#50896