Thursday, March 31, 2016

Unconquered Fine Tuning and Creating a Hair Shirt



The War Shirt / Shirt Wearers Shirt / Scalp Shirt Today, I attempted to create a Hair Shirt... or War Shirt. The original shirt wearers earned the right to wear War Shirts through great acts of bravery and deeds that were incorporated into the designs. Over a warriors lifetime, he would probably have owned more than one shirt. Some War Shirts were also thought to possess intrinsic spiritual powers which were transferred to the wearer. Buffalo hide was too thick to use, so the maker used Elk or deerskins. However, the ideal hides came from mountain sheep that roamed the Rocky Mountains to the Missouri River and beyond. After the shirt was made, it could be decorated in many ways. Hair from humans or horses often extended from the quilled arm strips and down the outside of the shoulder strips. Shirts with hair have been called scalp shirts, but they were only made with hair locks.

1 comment:

Pastel Artist said...

I'm just starting to sculpt. I love it! I'm disappointed that the silicone tools are not available right now, it is so hard to smooth the clay. You are a great inspiration and I will continue to follow you on your blog and YouTube. I wish I would have known about you in June 2015 because I was real close to you. We have friends in Kalispell. So, the next time we come to visit them I will look you up. Thanks for sharing your awesome talent and inspiration!

KimberLee Torkko