This style of strike-a-light is a very close reproduction of one which would have been used during the fur trade era. Notice that the sides of the pouch are cut straight and parallel, rather than having the inward-sloping shape of reservation era pieces.The beadwork patterns, as well as the color of beads used, are common of the central plains tribes; in this case, the Kiowa. While black beads were not often used in designs, and were somewhat of a rareity during the fur trade era, they were available, and tended to be more commonly utilized by the Southern plains tribes. The hourglass pattern is symbolic of the Kiowa's tribal worldview of their relationship to the sky, and the red cross is a typical symbol of the four directions, and can be seen on numerous examples of items to which time-frame we are looking. It is interesting to note that in the early years in which Native people used beads to decorate objects, the symbols were mostly of religious, or spiritual, or of their world-view, as opposed to later eras when beadwork designs became much more of personal artistry and craftsmanship.
The blue "padre" beads which adorn the attachment strings would have most likely been obtained through trade with Mexicans.
The steel that would have been placed inside this pouch would have been of an oval or horseshoe shape, not the "C"-shape so commonly, and incorrectly, used.
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For the beginner, a project like this strike-a-light would be a perfect way to start ones' own persona. The shape of the pouch is simple and straight-forward, and the beadwork is very basic. I highly recommend using real brain-tanned leather and artificial sinew for the most accurate portrayal of the fur trade era. Beads should be at least size 10, and should be either "old-time" colors, or muted primary colors. The padre beads can utilized, or subsituted with another period-correct trade bead. Please do your research first, however, as it would be very sad to have a nice historicaly-correct piece of equipment, decorated with items that would not be avilable for another decade or more.
