> I have a question to those of you who have made breastplates.
>
> I would like to know what matereial to use to thread the haisrpipe and
> beads through. In a book that I have "Traditional Indian Crafts", he
> says to use imitation sinew or greek thong.
>
> Does it matter?
>
> What did the early Native Americans use?
>
> What do Native Americans use now?
>
> OK so that's three questions. Thanks for your help.
>
> Kevin (kt6@prism.gatech.edu)
Kevin -
I have made a couple of breastplates and I've compared notes with a lot
of people at pow-wows. The original material used to string the hairpipes
and beads was sinew, and that's what I use. I buy it at pow-wows or from
Tandy Leather. It seems most people I meet also tend to favor real sinew.
It's OK to use the imitation stuff I suppose, but just make sure it's
stiff enough to be pushed through the hairpipes without using a needle.
(When you buy hairpipes, look down the hole of each one first, and make
sure it goes all the way through - otherwise you can't push anything
through it, needle or no needle!). Also, you should be able to separate
the fibers to create varying thicknesses if necessary. I haven't tried
imitation sinew so I can't say whether it stands up to these requirements
or not. To me, the strength and properties of real sinew are unbeatable,
besides just being "authentic". There was usually a good reason why
early Indians chose to use the materials they did and this is no exception.
Good luck!
= Lee =
Lee A. Flier
lee@cavern.vortex.com