It is a pleasant practice for folks and their canine companions to stroll the downtown Morrison, IL, streets following Paint the Town. On Sunday, September 20, 2015, Bob Zuidema, Morrison, brought “Takota,” a Malamute, at left, and “Aspen,” a rescued Husky-mix, to stroll among the painted squares.
Zuidema was a walking piece of historic art.
- He purchased the deerskin war shirt at a rendezvous from a blanket trader.
- Beaded shoulder decor and a chest piece were hand crafted by a woman he knows.
- Gary Green, Fulton, IL, lengthened Zuidema’s brain-tanned deerskin pants, by sewing a wide leather strip around each ankle.
- Beads adorn the tiny knife sheath, too.
Various animal parts adorn his regalia. Note the headdress; replica bear claw and trade bead necklace; coyote skin shoulder strap to his “possibles” bag; white ermine pelts.
Zuidema owns a 14′ (diameter) tipi and has mastered the art of brain tanning hides into supple, waterproof, buttery leather. He “made a little dress for [his] grandaughter.”
