The Blackfeet Indian Pencil company was established as means to generate income for the Blackfeet Indian Tribe. The factory located in Browning, Montana was never anything much as pencil factories go, but they made a decent pencil. Due to the unique brand position given the social and economic benefits gained for a time by the Blackfoot tribe from these operations the Blackfeet brand developed a somewhat loyal customer base. Part of their orginal market advantage was that the Blackfeet factory received a special designation for US government bids. Eventually, this factory lost its competitiveness in this arena to the Industries of the Blind pencil operations located in Milwaukee.
The most popular pencils from this company were these all natural cedar pencils. These were packaged either in a 12 count carton as shown or in a nicer gift sets sold in a natural wood box also made from the Incense-cedari wood slats purchased to make these pencils. The company also made some basic color pencils for the art market
Recently there has been increasing interest in Blackfeet pencils on eBay auctions. Click here for any available current auctions on eBay.
Here are a few relevant pencil blog posts or articles related to the Blackfeet Indian Pencil:
Blackfeet Indian Pencils @ Pencil Talk
Could Blackfeet become the next Blackwings? from WoodChuck’s Timberlines blog.
And this March 2000 article in Indian Country Magazine covering the challenges in re-establishing the factory which to this day has never occurred.
