History of American Clothing - Research Paper Example

History of American Clothing The history of American clothing is very diverse; however, it is well defined by the clothing products made by the Native Americans. The clothing that was made by the Native Americans includes feather headdresses, feather head mantles, and moccasins. The feather mantles were worn by all people regardless of gender. The feather headdresses were mainly worn by warriors or tribes men who had done something unique and important to the tribe. Only men took part in the making of the feathery headdresses. The moccasins were the types of beautiful shoes that were made by the Native Americans. They varied from tribe to tribe because of variation in design and materials used. The moccasins were mainly of two types; hard soled and soft soled moccasins. The moccasins were also decorated differently depending on the tribe that made them. A deep study of historical development of American dressing provides not only a colorful, but also a charming adventure into the past. To fully appreciate as well as enjoy this experience, some information about the dressing codes in addition to primitive life of people that resided in America will be expounded. Emphasis will be placed on the contributions of each people to the historical dressing in America. In addressing this, the paper will provide information on the contributions of the Indians to the development of American dress. Some Indian costumes will be used in providing information about the variety of design and materials. Thus, it worth noting and giving the Indian arts the recognition they deserve (Howell, 2010). For instance, it is evident that the history of American clothing cannot be complete without speaking of the Indian feather headdresses and moccasins. Feather mantles Feather mantles like the one worn by Tascalusa, chief of the Mobile tribe in early 1540, were made by Native Americans. These garments were also referred to as matchcoats, a word derived from Algonkian word, matshigode that meant cloak or mantle (Condra, 2013). Feather matchcoats used to be worn by both women and men during warm weather as a sign of social status. The matchcoats were made by “weaving feathers into a fiber net” (Condra, 2013, p.3). Turkey, swan, as well as duck feathers, could be used in making the mantle. In some areas, people weaved the heads of mallard ducks into the mantles. The mantles that were made from these materials were not only lightweight, but also warm and very beautiful (Condra, 2013). In relation to this, leaders of the Southern Indians wore distinctive feather headdresses like crowns or turbans that were made of either animal or bird skins. The crowns were decorated with eagle tail feathers. Other people decorated them with turkey tail feathers, bird wings, and a tuft of down. However, the Southern Indians started to alter their dressing style immediately after their encounter with Europeans. By the late 18th century, majority of the Indian tribes had started making their matchcoats and other garments out of the materials that were brought by the Europeans (Condra, 2013). Only the Pamunkey Indians managed to withhold their culture practice of making feather mantles and headdresses. Image of a feather mantle Retrieved from http://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/feathers-in-southeast-american-indian-ceremonialism/ Headdresses The headdress was an essential part of the Native American culture. The use of beautiful bird feathers made it more symbolic than anything else. Not everyone was allowed to wear the headdress among the tribes; it was reserved specifically for most powerful as well as influential people in the tribes. This type of clothing was not made in a single sitting. In fact, a brave act from a warrior or a tribe member led to the addition of one feather to the headdress (Waldaman, 2009). Thus, the more the feathers on one’s headdress, the braver and ominous the wearer was. In some tribes, the wearing of the headdress was associated with several days fasting. From this, one can deduce that the headdress played a very significant role in the Native American culture. Women did not take part in the making of the headdress. Only men and specifically the Chief or closest friends to the warriors made the headdress. In addition to being most significant, the Golden Eagle feather was the most coveted of all feathers (Kuskowski, 2012). The Native America headdress was either of several feathers of one color or many feathers with different colors (Waldman, 2009). However, this was influenced by the types of birds that were regarded indigenous by the tribe of a given area. The strap that held the Native American headdress to the head was made of either leather or deer sinew. The back of the headdress was often tied together, giving room for the adjustment of the headdress. Headdresses with buffalo horns played a very significant role in the historical American dressing (Kuskowski, 2012). Plain Indian men of different classes wore them to signify not only war deeds, but also their status. The materials for the headdresses however were very specific; as it was introduced above, the headdresses were mostly made of eagle feathers. The use of eagle feathers was a good signification of war (Kuskowski, 2012). The soft downy eagle feathers were attached at the tip of each feather that made the headdress symbolize mysterious forces. The continuous movement of the feathers was a signification of the communications with supreme powers. Image of the feathery headdress Retrieved from http://roseystradingpost.com/significance-native-american-headdress/ Moccasins Moccasins constituted of hard sole and others soft sole. Some also had fur lining for comfort and added warmth (Montgomery, 2009). The appearance of the hard sole moccasins started in mid-1800s. They were preferred mainly by the persons who walked on the plains dominated by cactus, as well as thorns. Some moccasins had cuffs which were turned up and tied near the ankle with the aid of a leather thong in bad weather. In addition to front-seam moccasins having soft soles, their leather was folded in a way that made the seam run up the center of the foot. These types of shoes were common in the Ohio River Valley as well as the eastern border of the plains. These types of shoes were mainly worn by the Ojibwa tribe. Just like the front seam moccasins, the side-seam moccasins were made of soft soles with one piece of leather folded as well as sewn on the outer side. This type of shoe was mainly common on the Northern Plains. These types of moccasins were mainly worn by the Flathead tribe. Hard sole moccasins started to emerge in the mid-1800s. These types of shoes were very beneficial on the dry plains; they protected people from cactus and thorns that had the potential of piercing soft-soled moccasins (Montgomery, 2009). Originally, however, “rawhides were sewn to the bottom of a soft sole to create a hard sole moccasin” (Montgomery, 2009, p.34). Soft sole Moccasin was common on the Shoshone tribe. Two-piece hard-soled moccasins on the other hand were made from a rawhide sole; the sole was sewn to leather upper. Additionally, the two pieces were connected from the inside before being turned out in addition to being decorated before the joining of the two pieces (Montgomery, 2009). Image of moccasins Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/elizvasko/native-american-moccasins-and-baskets/ Decorations for moccasins Some of the decorations that were made on the leather products by the Native Americans include the quillwork decoration. Quillwork used porcupine quills extensively in the creation of designs on leather. The quills were used for geometric designs due to the difficulties associated with creating round shapes. Quillwork was successfully done by “wrapping prepared quills around threads stitched to the piece being decorated” (Montgomery, 2009, p.53). A good example of the quillwork product is the shoe made by the Lakota tribe. Red quillwork was often associated with women’s moccasins. These types of moccasins were mainly made by the Dakota Sioux tribe towards the end of 1800s (Montgomery, 2009). Bead Stitching was also one of the methods that were used in decorating the moccasins. Different tribes stitched beads on their moccasins in a different way. For instance, the Lakota tribe was renowned of using “lazy” stitch in laying beads on large areas of the moccasin. Lazy stitch method allowed an individual to strung ten beads in a row which was later sewn down at the ends. On the northern plains, the Assiniboin as well as Cree tribes employed the “spot” stitch style in their decoration of the moccasins. This style was associated with the threading of the beads and later laying them in place for curved lines. In addition to these styles, there were other many designs that were associated with the tribes that were making them. In conclusion, the history of American clothing is very wide. However, it was significantly influenced by the native occupants of the area. The Native Americans were the Indians. In relation to their primitivism, the Native Indian Americans practiced as well as wore unique clothing. The use of feather headdresses, as well as moccasins, was very common among the Native American tribes. Apart from portraying one’s courage, the feather headdress defined the status of a person. The headdress constituted of feathers from mainly the eagle. Women were not involved in the making of the headdress because of the role it played in the Indian society. Moccasin is also one of the clothing that was made and worn by the Native Americans. There were two types of moccasin; the soft-soled moccasin and the hard soled moccasin. All the moccasins were made of leather. The choice and production of the moccasin was influenced by the environmental condition. Some moccasins had cuffs to prevent people from the effects of adverse conditions. The moccasins varied significantly because of the variation in tribes practices. References Condra, J. (2013). Encyclopedia of National Dress: Traditional Clothing Around the World. New York: ABC-CLIO, 2013. Howell, F. (2010). History of American Dress from the 15th and 16th Century Through 1965. New York: Chris Costilow. Kuskowski, A. (2012). Super Simple Native American Art:: Fun and Easy Art from Around the World. New York: ABDO Publishing Company. Montgomery, D. (2009). Crafts and Skills of the Native Americans: Tipis, Canoes, Jewelry, Moccasins, and More. New York: Skyhorse Publishing Inc. Waldman, C. (2009). Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. New York: Infobase Publishing. Read More