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Rocco

Chief Needabeh

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I have always wondered whether this fly's name actually was a commemoration of an actual person or a New Englander-accented slam on a particular Indian. It has an aura to me of a late night, many-drinks-later, put down. Anyone know the real story?

 

Rocco

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According to Joseph Bates Jr, Chief Needahbeh was a member of the Penobscot tribe. Bates says that the pattern shown in the plates was "dressed by the originator." The "Chief" was also known as Roland Nelson. There are recordings and pictures of him on the internet. He lived during the early part of the 1900s. Not sure of his date of birth, or when he died.

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Chief Needabeh was of the Penobscot tribe in Maine. He ran a fishing camp on Moosehead Lake. He was noted for tying flat-wing and splayed flat-wing streamers. Also extremely noteworthy is that he recommended and practiced dipping his streamers in the leftover oil of a can of sardines- the scent making them more attractive to the fish.

 

This info is from Bates' "Streamers and Bucktails" which has pictures of the man himself, flies he tied, a card from the camp, and anecdotes about fishing with Needabeh by the author who knew him personally.

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You guys are wicked smart. The fact you even knew what book to reference is impressive.

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Roland Nelson doesn't show up on the list of Penobscot tribal chiefs or sub-chiefs. Though also known as Needabeh, I assume the title "Chief Needabeh" was only for performances given for tourists and others, and that Bates' reference to him as Chief Roland Nelson was an overstatement of tribal status.

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Roland Nelson doesn't show up on the list of Penobscot tribal chiefs or sub-chiefs. Though also known as Needabeh, I assume the title "Chief Needabeh" was only for performances given for tourists and others, and that Bates' reference to him as Chief Roland Nelson was an overstatement of tribal status.

 

I wouldn't doubt that at all. From what I can tell, his fish camp wasn't a "wilderness" camp so families probably drove in quite often. Bates' book has a pic of him in a full-on head dress, obviously some sort of performance or PR thing. Now that I think of it, I don't recall ever seeing a real photo of an Eastern tribal leader wearing a head dress of that sort... I'm certainly no authority on the subject though. If I remember (I'll need to re-read it) I don't think Bates ever said he actually WAS a tribal leader, just that he was part of the Penobscots and he was known as Chief Needabeh.

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No biggie. Johnny Bucyk, who used to play for the Boston Bruins, was known as "Chief" because he bore a resemblance to American Indians. (he was actually of Ukrainian descent) Col. Tom Parker was no more a colonel than Colonel Sanders was, and Elvis Presley wasn't "The King" of anything at all, except possibly gluttony. Everybody's got a nickname.

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Don't forget about Chief Jay Strongbow . He used to wear a full head dress right up to when he was in the wrestling ring. When he went on the warpath, it was usually the end of the match for the other guy wink.png

 

Regards,

Mark

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I am sorry to stray so far from the original topic, but I just have to comment on Peterjay's post. Nobody can bring a tear to your eye when they sing" Old Shep" like Elvis could and "love me tender" is just a truly beautiful song that only "The King" could do that well. Ask almost any older to middle aged lady and a lot of young ones too, and they will tell you that Mr. Presley was the true king, even if he did expand a lot in his final years.....Also, I remember seeing a wrestler at a county fair years ago and I think he went by Chief Strong Bull, but other than the costume, I don't know if he was an American Indian or not, but it was a good show.

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Came here after watching Maine Cabin Masters show working on a cabin/camp the Chief owned for a while that the original families grandfather built.  Showed murals painted by the Chief as well as a fire pit where he brought back rocks from all of the states he visited. Love that show.

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On 10/5/2013 at 9:28 AM, JSzymczyk said:

Chief Needabeh was of the Penobscot tribe in Maine. He ran a fishing camp on Moosehead Lake. He was noted for tying flat-wing and splayed flat-wing streamers. Also extremely noteworthy is that he recommended and practiced dipping his streamers in the leftover oil of a can of sardines- the scent making them more attractive to the fish.

 

This info is from Bates' "Streamers and Bucktails" which has pictures of the man himself, flies he tied, a card from the camp, and anecdotes about fishing with Needabeh by the author who knew him personally.

Glad to hear I’m not the only one who adds a little salad oil to his flies . 🤓

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