Language & Culture hosts Men & Youth round bustle regalia making class
Close view of round bustle feathers at the instructional class March 15.
By BREE BAKER
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — The Shoshone-Bannock Language and Culture Preservation Department (LCPD) hosted a Men’s and Youth Regalia class on Saturday, March 15, where community members learned how to make a round bustle and a vest from instructor Stephan Kniffin.
On Saturday morning members of the community arrived ready to work on their projects and learn a new skill. To start off the class, Bailey Dann, Research and Education Specialist at the LCPD, gave a good morning welcome in the Shoshone and Bannock languages.
Dann thanked everyone for coming and said, “It’s really beautiful that we can come together this morning to create and learn, one of my passions is to keep our ways alive.” She shared how this time of year, in springtime the birds come out to dance, “it’s a sacred time, they are trying to find their partner, it’s a time of renewal and rebirth and love and joy.”
She said the LCPD partnered with the Sun Valley Museum of Art who sponsored some supplies and pay for the teachers. Vernon Two Eagles donated a large amount of feathers for the project. “Looking at historical photos of our ancestors, they are really beautiful and proud people, and we are beautiful people. We take a lot of care into the things we make and some of that is getting lost. Not everyone has the opportunity to make these things or has a master artist in their family, so this class is to help mitigate that.” said Dann.
She encouraged everyone to use their languages, no matter how much or how little you know. She said “Anytime I get to use the language I try to use it, I’m not perfect but that’s how we keep it alive. I encourage you guys, if you know any words even if it’s just baa’ or tsaan gammah, use those words because our ancestors hear us.”
Wendy Farmer works on a round bustle.
After Dann spoke, she introduced class instructor Stephan Kniffin who introduced himself and spoke about his experience making regalia. He said, “One of my crafts that I really enjoy doing, is making bustles. There aren’t a lot of people who make bustles anymore. A lot of them have passed.” Kniffin guided participants through the process of making a bustle from harvesting feathers, letting them dry out, prepping them, straightening and flattening them, cutting them, and assembling each part.
He said, “When you start making these bustles think a lot of good things and keep an open mind, you don’t want any negativity to be in your feathers.” Kniffin taught the participants how to make a bustle in the traditional way, he showed how to cut and use to quill to make the loop itself. He says “Other people nowadays, use wood dowels, bobby pins, zip ties. It’s easy, it’s fast but it’s not really a traditional way.”
While participants worked Kniffin talked about how we all had our own styles and now tribes have adopted and adapted a lot throughout out time. He shared knowledge on the different dance styles, bustle styles, and variations of bustles from different tribes. “The round bustles we use them for war dancing, chokecherry dance, and chicken dance. We have the round bustle because we follow the grouse, we follow the pheasants. We do a lot, our people do a lot. But a lot of our story telling and our regalia making, we don’t hear them anymore and nobody shows or practices it anymore, it’s kind of turning into a lost art,” Kniffin said. “Make it the way you want to make it, this class is to show you how to make your style, how you want it. I’m just going to be here to get you started on your path of making these.”
LCPD staff Stephan Kniffin instructs tying feathers with assistance from Bailey
Dann at the regalia class on March 15.
He has been making bustles for over 20 years, “Hit, miss, and learn. That’s the way I did it. I got to learn from a lot of different friends and relatives, who showed me how to make them, even just putting a feather together or going out to look for feathers.” He said “In 1997 the traditional arts class at Sho-Ban High School had a really good teacher at that time, he put in a lot of work before he moved back east. I started going from there, I learned how to do bustles and featherwork and I kept doing it as much as I could and never stopped. It was a learning experience.”
Throughout the class Kniffin went around and helped participants with bustles and gave instruction on what to do. When the first participant finished their bustle, Kniffin demonstrated to the class how to tie the bustle to the leather back piece. By the end of the day, two participants had completed their bustles, while others planned to finish their projects at home or return for the next class.
When asked about how he felt the class went? Kniffin replied “I think it went pretty good. We got a couple done. A lot of people were eager to learn something new, it’s always good to learn something new. I think we accomplished quite a bit. Can’t wait to get the next class done.”
When asked why classes like these are important to the community? He said, “Classes like these are important because there are not too many elders to do them anymore, we have lost a lot of people who do the traditional arts trades. I really do enjoy doing them and I like it when the youth and other people who don’t have too much knowledge on it that they get to come into the office and do the work. It’s really fun to watch people come in and put the work effort into it and I like to see that they learn something new.”
He said, “I’d like to see a lot more youth into it and adults too they need to learn. They don’t have a lot of male role models so sometimes the women have to take care of that part, to step up and be that role model. I do enjoy that there was quite a bit of women here that stepped up because they want to teach their children and younger generations.”
Bobette Haskett and her granddaughter Sequoia Haskett.
Kniffin’s message to the community is “Get out and learn something new. If you don’t think you can figure it out, ask. It never hurts to ask anybody, if somebody has a trade and knows what to do and you want to learn, just ask them. I guarantee they’re not going to turn you down but if they do give me a call, I’ll figure it out and if I can’t figure it out, I’ll find a way to help you out.”
While most of the participants took part in making a round bustle there were a few participants worked on their vests and one family made a fan. Kniffin answered questions and gave tips to those who were working on their beaded vests.
Bobette Haskett made a fan for her granddaughter Sequoia with the feathers provided from the class. Participants worked with a variety of feathers, yarn, beads, and sinew. Lunch was provided by LCPD to those in attendance, it consisted of sandwiches, chips, cookies, and homemade goulash.
The next Men’s and Youth Regalia class is Saturday, March 29 at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Community members interested in learning how to make a round bustle or a vest are encouraged to come to attend.
