Third-grade essayist Madisen Foster shows the beautiful Ojibwe style shoulder bag she designed in Lorelei Livingston’s class.
When my third grade class did the Ojibwe shoulder bag project, I was very excited. Learning about why it was used and making one of my own was a joy.
The beautiful artwork has been around for a long time. Bandolier bags originated in the late 1800s. They were used on special occasions, like when a chief went to meetings. It usually carried tobacco to offer to the earth.
We used crayons, colored pencils and permanent markers to color in the designs on our bags, but not waterbased markers, because it would smear. The patterns and designs were usually earth items, such as flowers, leaves, and berries and the materials usually came from trades with Anglo- Americans. I enjoyed this project because I got to learn more about my heritage of being Ojibwe.
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