Parfleche Flat Case

Parfleche painting was traditionally women's art and featured abstract, geometric imagery. However, a small but distinct class of rawhide containers was created by men. These paintings, like those on shields, were inspired by sacred visions and depicted supernatural powers. The images represented either the principal spirit-helper embodied within the contents of the case, or perhaps the vision itself. The painting on this parfleche depicts an eagle in profile, sitting within a field of vivid red; on either side is an unusual pattern of floating dark green forms within fields of bright yellow. The importance of the eagle in Plains Indian religious traditions is well understood, but without the explanation of the artist, now unknown, it is impossible to know the exact meaning of this dramatic image.