# Bindle

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{{Short description|Sack stereotypically used by hobos}}
{{this|the device used by hobos|other uses}}
[[File:Hobos2.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Two [hobo](/source/hobo)s walking along railroad tracks after being put off a train. One is carrying a bindle.]]

A '''bindle''' is a small bag or sack used for carrying personal belongings. 

Bindles are stereotypically depicted in American culture as a cloth bundle tied to the end of a stick and carried over the shoulder by [hobos](/source/hobos), especially in imagery of the [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression).<ref>{{cite web |title=bindle |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/bindle_n2?tab=factsheet#20535782 |website=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=28 June 2024}}</ref>  In this way, the weight of the burden is transferred to the shoulder, which allowed for a longer-lasting and more comfortable grip, which was especially useful with larger and heavier loads.  One example of the stick-type bindle can be seen in the illustration entitled ''The Runaway'' created by [Norman Rockwell](/source/Norman_Rockwell) for the cover of the September 20, 1958, edition of ''[The Saturday Evening Post](/source/The_Saturday_Evening_Post)''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Runaway (1958) by Norman Rockwell |url=http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/rockwell/rockwell_runaway.jpg.html |access-date=May 30, 2023 |publisher=Artchive}}</ref> 

In cartoons, the bindles' sacks usually have a [polka-dot](/source/polka-dot) or [bandanna](/source/bandanna) design.  Though bindles are practically gone, they are still widely seen in popular culture as a prevalent [anachronism](/source/anachronism). 

== History == 
A hobo who carried a bindle was known as a '''bindlestiff'''. According to [James Blish](/source/James_Blish) in his novel ''A Life for the Stars'', a bindlestiff was specifically a hobo who had stolen another hobo's bindle, from the colloquialism ''stiff'', as in steal.{{page needed|date=May 2023}}

The term ''bindle'' may be an alteration of the term "bundle" or similarly descend from the [German](/source/German_language) word ''Bündel'', meaning something wrapped up in a blanket and bound by cord for carrying (''cf.'' originally [Middle Dutch](/source/Middle_Dutch) ''bundel''), or have arisen as a portmanteau of ''bind'' and ''spindle''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bindle Definition & Meaning |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bindle |access-date=May 30, 2023 |website=[Merriam-Webster](/source/Merriam-Webster)}}</ref> It may also be from the Scottish dialectal ''bindle'' "cord or rope to bind things".<ref>{{cite web |title=Bindle Etymology |url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=bindle |access-date=July 21, 2023 |website=[Online Etymology Dictionary](/source/Online_Etymology_Dictionary)}}</ref>

''Bindle'' is also a term used in [forensics](/source/forensics). It is the name for a piece of paper folded into an envelope or [packet](/source/Packet_(container)) to hold trace evidence: hairs, fibers or powders.<ref>{{Citation |title=Evidence Packaging: A How-To Guide |date= |url=https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/cci/reference/evidence_collection.pdf |pages=32 |year= |access-date=May 30, 2023 |publisher=California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services}}</ref> Similarly, ''bindle'' is sometimes used to describe a small package of powdered drugs.

==See also==
* [Carrying pole](/source/Carrying_pole)
* [Sarcina](/source/Sarcina)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
* [http://mycrafts.com/diy/folding-a-paper-bindle-technique/ "Folding a Paper Bindle"], 2017, National Forensic Technology Training Center.
* [https://www.dfs.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/PAPER-EVIDENCE-FOLD-2014-08.pdf "Paper Evidence Fold"], 2014, VDFS, Virginia.

{{Bags}}

Category:Bags
Category:Luggage
Category:Forensic equipment

{{US-hist-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bindle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bindle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bindle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.