Natives of Northeastern North America use bags and pouches to contain many of life's necessities around the home site and for travel. As Native American clothing did not incorporate European- like pockets, pouches of all shapes, sized and materials served this purpose. European explorers of North America in the early 1600's observed that Natives "Always carry with them all their goods, as well as their food and green tobacco." (de Laet: 1967) Pouches and bags were commonly fastened to a belt around the waist. Smaller pouches may have been worn around the neck or on the wrist. Bags that were not woven were traditionally made from tanned leather, animal bladders, and all types of furred animal hides from the mole to the bear. Pouches could contain food-stuff, smoking supplies, medicine, fire-starting equipment, ammunition, and other small tools and supplies used by men and women.

A long leather bag was used to hold nokake (parched and powdered corn meal to be mixed with water and eaten. The parched corn bag was carried by Native American men when they traveled. The parched corn was "put into a long leatherne bag, trussed at their backe like a knapsacke"(Wood: 1865). Meals of parched corn while traveling consisted of three spoonfuls, three times a day.

A tobacco pouch is called Petouwassinug by the Narragansett of southern New England. In the 1600's Native American men wore a tobacco pouch "which hangs at their necke, or sticks at their girdle, which is to them in stead of an English pocket" (Williams: 1973). In 1622 Massasoit, a Wampanoag, wore a little bag of tobacco attached to "a great chain of white bone beads about his neck." (Heath: 1986) A separate pipe bag would be made and decorated to hold a smoking pipe, "for generally all the men throughout the Countrey have a Tobacco-bag, with a pipe in it, hanging at their back" (Williams: 1973)