A bindle is the bag, sack, or carrying device stereotypically used by the American

sub-culture A subculture is a group of people within a cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop ...

hobo A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps, and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; a bum neither travels nor works. Et ...

s. The bindle is colloquially known as the ''blanket stick'', particularly within the Northeastern hobo community. They are also heavily associated with the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. A hobo who carried a bindle was known as a bindlestiff. According to

James Blish James Benjamin “Jimmy” Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his ''Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel ''A Case ...

in his novel ''A Life for the Stars'', a bindlestiff was specifically a hobo who had stolen another hobo's bindle, from the colloquium ''stiff'', as in steal. In modern popular culture the bindle is portrayed as a stick with cloth or a blanket tied around one end for carrying items, with the entire array being carried over the shoulder. This transferred force to the shoulder, which allowed a longer-lasting and comfortable grip, especially with larger heavier loads. Particularly in cartoons, the bindles' sacks usually have a polka-dot or bandanna design. However, in actual use the bindle can take many forms. One example of the stick-type bindle can be seen in the illustration entitled ''The Runaway'' created by

Norman Rockwell Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...

for the cover of the September 20, 1958, edition of ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

''. Though bindles are virtually gone, they are still widely seen in popular culture as a prevalent

anachronism An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...

. The term ''bindle'' may be an alteration of the term " bundle" or similarly descend from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

word ''Bündel'', meaning something wrapped up in a blanket and bound by cord for carrying (''cf.'' originally

Middle Dutch Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or , there was no overarching sta ...

''bundel''), or have arisen as a portmanteau of ''bind'' and ''spindle''. It may also be from the Scottish dialectal ''bindle'' "cord or rope to bind things". ''Bindle'' is also a term used in

forensics Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

. It is the name for a piece of paper folded into an envelope or packet to hold trace evidence: hairs, fibers or powders. Similarly, ''bindle'' is sometimes used to describe a small package of powdered drugs.

References

External links

"Folding a Paper Bindle"
2017, National Forensic Technology Training Center.
"Paper Evidence Fold"
2014, VDFS, Virginia. {{Bags Bags Luggage Forensic equipment

See also

References

External links