Came across this story at the Flitzy Phoebie blog via the Adirondack Base Camp, which has a bit more details about the business at hand.
Apparently, the Blackfoot and Sioux are rival tribes going back to the day. Sitting Bull had a real dislike for the Blackfoot after being scouts for Custer and being the lone survivors of Little Big Horn. In 1952 some Sioux decided payback was in order and it was decided they would burn down the Blackfeet Indian Writing Company, a tribal enterprise making pencils. Yes, even then the feds were purchasers of NDN goods, and without the assistance of 8(a) certification or ANC’s. It is noted a new, large federal contract enraged the Sioux.
These Sioux boys gather up a merry band ready to raid the Blackfoot rez. It was a winter night with a blizzard. Now remember, this isn’t Rodney Grant and Graham Greene kind of party, think more Powwow Highway thirty years earlier. Meaning everyone is lit. The drive was three hours, so I imagine one could have passed-out and be ready for action again. They make it to the Blackfoot reservation, cut engines and light, coast to the gate, and quietly make it into the factory. So, maybe the Sioux still do have some skills.
But those skills did not include planning. Once inside they realize no brought a flashlight, and being factory dark someone tips over a five gallon yellow paint bucket, and that caused a fight to break out. On duty was an 81-year old security guard who sees NDN’s, paint, and a fight. Not recognizing any of them he fires up the factory whistle and alerts everyone to head to the factory. Lights come one and the Sioux find out they had been fighting each other (oh, the existential metaphors to be had). Factory workers and policemen come with anything and everything, expecting anything and everything (some even brought fire extinguishers).
The Sioux quickly bail, breaking what they could on the way out and throwing flares in lieu of the destructive fire they intended. The story notes only real damage was when one of the invaders ran in a control panel and dented the whole thing with his face. He went down and as he did he hit a switch. Some grabbed him and as they headed out the door someone threw the main fuse box, putting the factory back in black for the escape. They bail into cars and speed out at twenty-miles an hour. The weather keeps them from a speedy, American Graffiti style escape.
Then in true NDN style, the Blackfoot blame the Arapaho and the story notes they held that contention for over ten years, taking it out on every Arapaho they could find. That night the Blackfoot pick up a bit, attend to a couple of small fires, cuss a bit, and return to bed. The following workday, things went back into production, except…
The Sioux, who left a face imprint on a control panel and hit a switch, hit a switch that caused the factory to produce seven-sided pencils (instead of the six-sided) for over half a day. That means they shipped over 15,000 seven sided pencils. Here is the punch line from Flitzy Phoebie:
Among pencil collectors (yes, there are such people), the seven-sided Blackfoot “war pencil” is the cat’s pajamas in the hobby. The last onesold at public auction in St. Louis brought a record $25,500. And it was merely a two-inch stub with the eraser entirely used up and gone. It had been found underneath an old train station that was being torn down in Augusta, Georgia by a man who’d recently read about–and laughed at–the obscure hobby of pencil collecting.
Ebay Results
VINTAGE BLACKFEET INDIAN WRITING COMPANY PENCILS
 | US $7.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 13:56:38 PST Bid now | Add to watch list |
12 Blackfeet Indian Unused #2 Pencils & Original Boxes
 | US $12.50 (3 Bids) End Date: Sunday Mar-14-2010 13:57:15 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
Blackfeet Indian Pencils Bundle Of 12 New Free Ship!
 | US $65.00 End Date: Wednesday Mar-17-2010 9:22:12 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $65.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Blackfeet Indian Acrylicolor Blue Lead Pencils/1 Dz
 | US $9.99 End Date: Monday Apr-05-2010 10:23:12 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $9.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
Blackfeet Indian Acrylicolor Red Lead Pencils / 1 Dozen
 | US $9.99 End Date: Wednesday Apr-07-2010 12:43:28 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $9.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
