Bandoliers - Why?

[Historian]

An essential component of most straight dance outfits is the pair of bandoliers, or strings of large trade beads with leather spacers, worn in a loop which extends from each shoulder to the opposite hip. Each bandolier consists of one to three strings of brass, silver or glass trade beads (aurora borealis beads are frequently sought after), strung in combination with bone hairpipes averaging between one and three inches long, and held together with leather spacers.

An older version of bandoliers are made from silver beads and mescal beans. These are frequently seen today on many Comanche style outfits. No matter the style, straight dancers today will wear a pair of bandoliers, one over each shoulder, crossing in the front and back. When the leather belt is put on, the bandoliers usually come over the belt in front and under the belt in back. When a vest is worn, with or without a ribbonshirt, the bandoliers are usually omitted.

However, I have not found very many sources, be it conversations with elders or written sources, that have explained why the pair of bandoliers became a very basic element in straight dance clothes. What are their origins? Why were they used? Does anyone have any information to offer?

[rodond]

could they have from the kiowa groud dance they wear one over their left shoulder maded of silver and skunk berrys in memorial of a battle with the cheyenne they tied a hankerchief bundle to it with indian prefume from the foothill to it much like the straight dancer do

[wa-zha-zhe]

I don't know which tribe started wearing bandoliers first. I have not done any research on this topic. But, I think the old timers must have thought, these bandoliers that held ammunition worn by Mexican Soldiers were honorable, to be worn. So when they dressed themselves for celebration, the bandoliers were adorned. That's my opinion. Every piece of our Indian Clothes has a significant meaning behind it.

[Blue Poet]

I don't know which tribe started wearing bandoliers first. I have not done any research on this topic. But, I think the old timers must have thought, these bandoliers that held ammunition worn by Mexican Soldiers were honorable, to be worn. So when they dressed themselves for celebration, the bandoliers were adorned. That's my opinion. Every piece of our Indian Clothes has a significant meaning behind it.

My Chiricahua Apache cousin relates to the above. His perspective is that it was part of a style of dress predating or contemporary to Geronimo and Lozen and that the provenance has evolved from Warrior dress with ammo casings to more celebratory 'place holding' items of natural (bone, pods, cones, etc.) to bead (glass, trade, decorative brass, etc.)

[BeadMan]

A few observations…

Bandoliers are seen on early (straight) dancers, but not exactly as Historian described them above. Usually one is worn, and they are 1-2 strands not connected with a leather or bone spacer. When more than one is worn they sometimes match and sometimes do not. The older ones I have seen are a lage loop that are wound around a few times to create multiple strands across the chest. These earlier styles are actually quite commonly worn with earlier style vests.

So my questions are: When did the double matched pair come into fashion? When did multiple strands separated with spacers begin? And when/why are modern vest almost never worn with modern bandoliers?

One additional observation…Bandoliers are definitely a men’s item. Even among the Great Lakes people, bandolier (or shoulder) bags are worn across the body on men and around the neck for women (usually that is). So I would not dispute any claims of them indicating some kind of warrior status, as that would be for men. I do not think they came from Mexican bandaleros. Cross chest decorations must surely pre-date white contact.

[rodond]

beadman can you date when the gourd dancers started wearing bandoliers

[rodond]

beadman can you date when the gourd dancers started wearing bandoliers

[sookout sh'nob]

hunter > warrior

Being from the Great Lakes area, I'll chip in my 2 cents...

Grams says women sometimes wore thier bandoliers in front for comfort's sake... she says as soon as you put anything into those bags with wide straps on em they would squish her breasts flat. I mentioned this story in asking another old lady and she laughed her *** off and agreed.

Generally speaking (and grossly simplifying), warrior status wasn't all that important in Anishinaabe society - with the notable exception of folks living in/near the Oyate and Haudenosaunee borders. The rest of us happily spent our time developing philosophies and sciences.

Hunter status, on the other hand, remains incredibly important throughout the ages and well into the 21st century.

I totally agree with cross chest styles pre-dating mexicans and americans. Possibly otter fur breastplates are a good example of a proto-cross-chest style? I'm not sure how far back they go, but given the beautiful simplicity of thier design, I'd be willing to believe tens of thousands of years.

One additional observation…Bandoliers are definitely a men’s item. Even among the Great Lakes people, bandolier (or shoulder) bags are worn across the body on men and around the neck for women (usually that is). So I would not dispute any claims of them indicating some kind of warrior status, as that would be for men. I do not think they came from Mexican bandaleros. Cross chest decorations must surely pre-date white contact.

[wa-zha-zhe]

Osage wear bandoliers for the same reason they wear scalp feathers. But, I'm sorry to say, that is all I can say about that. Good question, Historian! An interesting topic for discussion.

[Gledanh Zhinga]

I can't answer the question, but I can comment.

I think James Howard, the anthropologist, talked to me one time about the early "mescal cult", even among the Prairie Potowotamie of Kansas, and I think they wore the single strand of mescal beans over the shoulder.

In the early 1960's in Los Angeles, I met an Osage man maybe 60 years old, by the name of Cub Little Bear. At the time, he had been away from any Osage doings for quite a number of years, and he was a professional ball room dancer. When we talked about straight dance, it renewed his memory, and he said that when he was a boy participating in the Ilonskas, his parents dressed him with "glass on one side; beans on the other", meaning his bandoliers. He further stated that his folks tied a roach braid at the top of his head, and it "hurt like hell", but he was made to keep it day and night for the four days of the dance.

The "silver" bandolier beads nowadays are being made of stainless steel(?) or nickel. They seem to retain their sheen fairly well. The brass will tarnish readily, especially with body sweat.

I haven't been to the Hominy District dances for a long time, but a friend told me that the dancers often wear a single bandolier rather than two crossed bandoliers. Is that true?

We used to be able to purchase the "hair bones" that had more material in them than the present day crop of hair bones. Each end of a bone grew toward the center, the central outside diameter measuring 3/8" or a scant 3/8". Now, a bone measures 5/16" in outside diameter at the center.

I purchased a nice single bandolier from a Santa Fe trader in the early 1970's. It had all bone spacers, the two lower ones (for the join and below the join) had nicely filed edges, kind of "softly serrated". Looked good to me.

And now, my humble opinion. I think that some of the present day bandoliers are too long. Given that everyone has varying bodily conformations, I think they should be not lower than ones crotch...or maybe the the middle of ones fingers when you're standing naturally. I don't say these should be hard and fast rules, just rules of thumb.