The Indigenous peoples of the Plains have kept visual histories for centuries. As they continued to be displaced by settlers throughout the 19th century, this practice became more challenging, and even more essential. Hides and cloth were traditionally used as canvases, but those were soon replaced by a more portable and accessible solution - paper.

One of the more popular vessels for these visual histories were the ledger books used by the very settlers that were displacing them. The Native artisans drew in these books with pencils, paints, and sometimes crayons, documenting their histories, important stories and more. What was once used to keep inventory of settler property was repurposed to keep inventory of the cultural practices of the people of the Plains.

This Blackwing 574 ledger book is a recreation of the types of ledger books used by the Plains tribes to preserve their identities and histories. This 7.5” x 11.75” book features a multi-textured vegan leather and suede cover and 152 numbered ledger pages. Use it as a ledger of your own or fill it with your own drawings of the important events in your life.