isaac
Mountaineer
Posts: 331
|
Post by isaac on Sept 7, 2010 11:58:22 GMT -7
This past weekend I reread Wood and Theissen's book on Earlyy Fur Trade in the Northern Plains and now have a question for the learned list.
In Larocque's journal, he describes the Rocky Mountain Indians (Crow) and is describing their horses and saddlery. At one point, talking of saddles, he states, "Those of the men are not quite so high, and many use saddles such as the Canadians make in the N:W Country." (p. 213)
My question... Does anyone know what he is referring to as Canadian saddles? I would LOVE to know anything anyone knows on Canadian made saddles from the NorthWest.
Isaac
|
|
|
|
Post by sean on Sept 7, 2010 12:44:02 GMT -7
Issac, I think he is describing pad saddles. These are basically a bucking envelope stuffed with hair to protect the horses back with a girth and stirrups. The have become generally referred to as 'men's saddles'. The Red River Metis, most other tribes and even New Mexican Ciboleros used these when running bison because they were lighter. Take a look at this page and type in 'saddle' as a search term: anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/databases/north_public/north_public.htmAbout 21 pages of Indian horse gear will come up and you can kiss away a few hours looking through them. Its a really great sight. By the way, the saddles referred to as 'women's saddles' were actually a combination riding/pack saddle. Sean |
|
isaac
Mountaineer
Posts: 331
|
Post by isaac on Sept 7, 2010 13:29:04 GMT -7
Thanks Sean. I was sort of thinking that way, knowing that men in the "plains" generally used the padded type, I was JUST on the amnh site looking (great minds think alike  ). I see some Cree ones and probably some from Red River. That would jive with Canadian in the NW as well. I would LOVE to see more on this. I was digging the NWCo horse info in LaRocque and McKenzie. I always think canoe when I think NWCo, but love seeing all the horse stuff as they get into the upper Missouri. IW |
|
|
|
Post by Chuck Burrows on Sept 7, 2010 23:32:41 GMT -7
|
|
isaac
Mountaineer
Posts: 331
|
Post by isaac on Sept 8, 2010 5:50:44 GMT -7
I LOVE the first Cree one that comes up when you do a search!  Beautiful quillwork and some painting on it... it screams, MAKE ONE LIKE ME!!! Another question. Where these used with a blanket under them like a heavier saddle, or were they put directly on the horse. My father has given up using western saddles and generally uses a bareback pad/saddle. These remind me a lot of them. Isaac |
|
|
|
Post by sean on Sept 8, 2010 8:17:46 GMT -7
|
|
isaac
Mountaineer
Posts: 331
|
Post by isaac on Sept 9, 2010 13:09:56 GMT -7
I am going to post these as I am not sure how many have seen them since they are in Paris. This is Piegan...  Sioux...  I love the Museum Quay Branly... TONS of cool North American stuff, but the search function of the online collections works only in French. BTW, saddle is selle in French Their search site... www.quaibranly.fr/fr/documentation/le-catalogue-des-objets.htmlIsaac |
|
isaac
Mountaineer
Posts: 331
|
Post by isaac on Sept 9, 2010 13:11:07 GMT -7
|
|
isaac
Mountaineer
Posts: 331
|
Post by isaac on Sept 9, 2010 13:13:45 GMT -7
BTW... I have heard the word apishamore a TON of times. I am not sure that I fully understand it. Is it simply a chunk of buffalo hide (hair on) that is used as a horse blanket? Can it be anything else? Only part of a hide? Just checking my understanding... remember I am a newbie as far as this western stuff goes  Isaac |
|
|
|
Post by sean on Sept 9, 2010 14:08:46 GMT -7
Thanks for the link. Neat site.
Apishamore/apishamoe/epishamore... = Saddle blanket/bedding/cold weather wrap. The same piece was generally used for all three things. It came off the horse in camp when the saddle came off and at that point stopped being a saddle blanket and became one of the other things. Generally a hair-on hide of some sort, most commonly buffalo.
Sean
|
|
jeffp
Mountaineer
Posts: 48
|
Post by jeffp on Oct 10, 2010 11:05:22 GMT -7
Somewhere i have a photo of a really nice Upper-Missouri men's pad saddle,
and I think it even has stirrups attached to it. i believe it came off the site
that Sean posted, it's worth checking out.
I'll dig thru my photos and see if i can find it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dan'l Hickham on Mar 2, 2013 5:49:31 GMT -7
By wool blanket are you talking real wool blankets or the modern wool blanket pad?
|
|
). I see some Cree ones and probably some from Red River. That would jive with Canadian in the NW as well. I would LOVE to see more on this. I was digging the NWCo horse info in LaRocque and McKenzie. I always think canoe when I think NWCo, but love seeing all the horse stuff as they get into the upper Missouri.
Beautiful quillwork and some painting on it... it screams, MAKE ONE LIKE ME!!! 
