Using Everything

Buffalo Hump Bones


The Traditional Native American way was to live as one with Nature and that all animals winged and four legged are our brothers.


A hunter would go out seeking an animal for food and would ask that animal for forgiveness for killing it, at the same time thanking it for it's gift of life to feed our bodies and clothe us and provide shelter. All of the animal was used, meat, bones, hide, hair, for either food or hides for clothing and shelter even the bones as tools or as something to be decorated.


With this way of living and respect and honor for our brother the Buffalo (American Bison) I use every part of the animal that I can and on this project I am using a Hump Bone (located directly behind the neck) consisting of the hump you see on a Buffalo.


I am including a picture of two Hump Bones, one of which I will use as a handle for a Gourd Rattle. I bleach the bone then sand it smooth and polish it till it shines like Ivory. I then cover a portion of the bone with leather to bead on, the rest I leave natural but polished.


I am also including a photograph of some of the Peyote Gourds that I grow, one of which I will choose to be the Gourd part of the Rattle. The upper part of the gourd is placed through the open hole in the Hump Bone and I will draw on and then wood burn on the Gourd my interpretation of the Four Directions which I will use leather dyes to color, or maybe a touch of paint.


In the photograph, I placed one of the bones facing you, there you can see the Spirit of the Buffalo, notice the eyes and even the ears and face?


I will post the progress of this project as it progresses until completion.








Peyote Gourds