What can you wear today that will turn admiring heads? What can you give as a gift that is absolutely unique? What can you buy that will benefit someone else in the future? The answer is simple – American Indian clothing.
Everyone is familiar with the Native American culture, yet their rich traditions, legends and customs continue to captivate us.
Native American clothing vary in style. Nearly every tribe has its own distinctive design; they can often tell each tribal identity by observing the headdress, clothes and other ornamentation.
The Native Americans normally incorporate nature, the environment where they lived as well as their religious beliefs into their clothes. For example, women wore simple knee-length skirts in warm regions while tribes who live in the Plains wore leggings, breechclouts and tunic shirts.
Just watch an old Western movie and you’ll have an overview of American Indian clothing & billowing animal furs, tanned animal skins with fringe, moccasins, woven shawls, dresses, skirts, pouches and belts.
If you are looking to buy Native American costumes (or clothes), either because it’s particularly important to you to own an authentic American Indian article or because you want to support these great people with your purchase, here is a glimpse of the basics in their wardrobe:
1. Most Native American men wore breechclouts. It’s a long rectangular piece of cloth tucked over a belt. They normally pair it with leather leggings, most especially if they live in colder climates. Other tribes choose fur trousers or a short kilt over the breechclout.
2. Nearly all Native men did not wear shirts, but the warriors of the Plains wore special buckskin war shirts with beadwork, ermine and quillwork.
3. The majority of Indian women wore leggings and skirts with different patterns and designs, length and materials. You can also find tribes with women wearing mantles, tunics or a one-piece dress. As you can see the native american dress code was distinctly different and unique.
4. Most tribes use cloaks especially during cold weather.
5. Headgears differ in every tribe.
6. The only universal item in Native American clothing is the moccasin, with styles varying from tribe to tribe.
Native Americans have utmost respect in nature & the environment, the Earth and the animals. When they make American Indian clothing, they never waste any of the materials that they took.
They take only what is needed, especially with animal products. Whether it was fur, leather for moccasins, shells or quills, they treat the animals that gave their life for their use with dignity and respect. We can learn much from them.
