Story robes

Story Robes
Prior to and during colonization of North America, the many First Nations of the plains used buffalo hides to tell their stories and to record signifcant events. It has been a huge misconception that Aboriginal people had no recorded history other than an oral tradition, and the stories painted onto buffalo hides are just one proof of this.

Buffalo hides were a precious resource as they were used for clothing, shelter, rawhide containers, ties, and many other various uses; So an event had to have been of great significance to warrant the use of one whole hide. As many of the plains tribes were warrior cultures and led many raids on neigboring nations or tribes, those raids that led to success in battle (many times with the help of powers given from spiritual beings) were the ones that were worthy of recording.

Robes were also a mark of wealth and status in many tribes. Someone with an abundant supply of new robes, such as a chief or successful warrior, could also display their honor and wealth by gifting robes for ceremonies, give aways, or peace agreements between tribes.

In some plains cultures robes painted with ceremonial symbols would be worn by the sick to help in healing. Symbols could also indicate battle strategies used, as well as the owners gender or role in society.

Ochre, an Iron Oxide pigment, in many varying colors, was used to paint the simple, yet evocative images of victory in battle, horse raids, encounters with the spirit world, weaponry as well as stories of creation. Even in its simplicity, the depictions of people, animals, landmarks/landscapes were clearly made out to ensure that the people would be able to interpret these historic events and timeless stories. Some of the images were a visual interpretation of stories passed down for generations.

The art of story robes halted with the near annihiation of the great buffalo herds that once roamed the plains of North America in the mid to late 19th century. These herds were destroyed as a means of eliminating the main source of food and resource for the plains nations, as well as to make way for the settlement of the west. The hides of the millions of buffalo that were killed during this era were shipped off to the east coast and to Europe to be used for things such as mechanical belts.

Because of their organic material, buffalo hides would deteriorate and many were buried along with their owners whose stories they told. In the 19th century and early to mid twentieth century, anthropologist actively sought out the material culture of Aboriginal people for preservation in museums around the world. They believed that indigenous cultures would not survive the twentieth century and set out to collect a record of what they firmly believed were dying cultures. The story robes that exist today that tell the stories of the great battles and spiritual encounters are now in the possession of the museums of North America and Europe. However, the art of story robes still lives on as it has for thousands of years. Momentus events and accomplishments are still celebrated with the creation of a story robe in many nations.

Links
Storyrobes Glenbow Museum exhibition online Storyrobes kids