Saturday, January 21, 2012

Useful Knowledge Concerning Native American Regalia

By Amy Nichols


Native American regalia had a lot of diverse styling to it. Different types of clothing were worn by different tribes and genders. There were different clothes for different occasions for instance there were those worn going to war, others worn during weddings and others during funerals.

Men in most of the native tribes predominantly wore breechcloth. This is a long rectangular piece of hide or even cloth that is hung on the belt of the wearer. This in effect covers the rear and the front of the individual. Men also wore leggings during cold weather. Some men in other tribes wore fur trousers and kilt.

Men often did not wear shirts. However there were those specially made for warriors. These shirts were made from buckskin and had numerous decorations on them. They included hair, elaborate quillwork and beadwork as well as ermine tails. This piece of clothing was called a Sioux shirt.

Women of Indian tribes usually wore skirts and leggings. The skirts usually differed in length and material from tribe to tribe, there were those that did not have to wear the skirts and were more optional than mandatory, and there were those that had to wear the skirts at all times. There were those that wore tunics while others wore one piece dresses. These clothing were predominantly made from buckskin.

Indian tribes usually wore some type of leather shoe known as moccasin. They also wore a boot known as mukluk. The styles of this footwear usually varied from tribe to tribe. During cold weather, Indians wore cloaks while other tribes wore fur parkas. They also wore a diverse range of headgear.

After the Indians were colonized, they were forced into settlements that were close to other Indian tribes. This resulted in them borrowing styles from each other and there emerged a somewhat uniform style of dressing for most Indians. They also adopted some contemporary European wear and then modified them with some Indian styling. Native American Regalia




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