Honors Digging Deeper into Nonfiction 1.1.8

The author proves that the materials used for storytelling are just as important as the story itself by showing how Native artists carefully chose what they worked with.

In the article, the author explains that Plains artists once recorded their experiences on buffalo hides but later adapted to new materials such as muslin, paper, and even ledger books when hides became scarce.

This shift demonstrates that the meaning of the artwork was tied not only to the images but also to the surfaces and tools that carried cultural significance.

For example, using ledger books—objects connected to U.S. government control—turned the act of storytelling into both memory-keeping and resistance.

This evidence proves that the materials were more than a background for the story; they shaped how the stories were told and how they were understood.