Native Costumes Archives

Native American Moccasins And Costume Boots

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010 at 1:23 am  
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Native American Moccasins And Boots

viking boot

The word moccasin comes from the Algonquian Indian word for shoe ‘maxkesani’. Moccasins are believed to be the oldest footwear known to man dating back to 12000 BC. Native American moccasins had a u-shaped or puckered up vamp-top positioned over the instep. The name of the Great Lakes Ojibway tribe means ‘people of the puckered moccasin’. Two basic styles, hard sole and soft sole, were made depending on the climate in which they were worn. All moccasins were inverted to hide the basic stitching.

Soft sole moccasin were made from a single piece of leather. The sides were gathered around the foot and puckered or with a special tucked-up toe. Wedge-shaped holes were cut along the outer edges with a sharp knife. Soft soles were preferred by many tribes since a soft sole allowed the wearer to have more contact with Mother Earth.

tan ankle boots

indain side lace boot

Hard sole moccasins or boots were made using two or more pieces of hide with the tougher portion of the material used for the sole. These boots often had a cuff around the back of the ankle which could be worn either turned down or pulled up and tightly laced to protect the ankles in colder climates.

While all moccasins and boots were constructed in the same basic manner, unique touches were used to differentiate between tribes. The main feature used to denote a tribe was the pattern used for the vamp portion of the moccasin. Ornate beading was often used with the amount of beading depending on the occasion for which the moccasins were being worn. For wedding moccasins, the entire vamp was covered with beading. Burial moccasins had a top similar to the wedding moccasin but also had the sole entirely beaded or with a special design believed to be important in the after-life. Many moccasins displayed delicate hand-painted designs on the vamp. Most soles were made from rawhide, rabbit fur or sheepskin. Often there was an animal tail attached to the back edge of the sole to brush over or hide tracks made by the wearer.

indian ankle bootMuklaks were a heavy-duty boot believed to be first worn by the Inuit Eskimos. These boots were constructed with materials needed for protection from frostbite. The soles were made from sealskin, reindeer, caribou hide or buckskin.

In warmer climates a sandal moccasin was made using a light weight sole, no heel and sinew laced around the lower ankle.

These native american boots will complete  your halloween Native American costume.

Native American Tribes

Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 3:01 am  
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Notable Native American Tribes

noble warrior costumeLong before Christopher Columbus, there were Native American communities spread across the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. Hundreds of tribes and sub tribes lived close to the land and each had their unique social structures and traditions.

The Apaches, peacefully, lived on the rich plains of North America until the marauding and warlike Comanches displaced them. They were forced to take refuge in the mountains of the Sonoran desert and here Geronimo made a last stand against the relentless advance of the white man.

The Navajo made their home in the Four Corners area of Arizona and New Mexico. A peaceful people, they raised sheep and lived in round roofed dwelling called Hogans. In the mid 1800s, they were displaced by the American military under the command of Kit Carson. Today they live in their traditional home and are noted as great artisans of silver work and turquoise jewelry.

Among the plains Indians, the Sioux are the most notable as a nomadic tribe, following the great buffalo herds. History shows that two of their great Chiefs, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, unified the Sioux nations in their fight against the white man and at the battle of the Little Big Horn they struck a blow to the white establishment by defeating General Custer.indian maiden costume

The Comanches, also of the plains, were warlike and one of the most feared of all the tribes. Over time they were at war with almost every other Native American tribe that they came in contact with. Their great Chief, Quanah Parker successfully negotiated treaties and today they are the most highly educated of all the tribes.

The Mohawks and Iroquois of the East Coast were known as people of the flint. These successful carnivores lived off the endless supply of deer much as the plains Indians depended on the bison. The Mohawks fought against the United States during the revolutionary war and again in the war of 1812.

Of the tribes of the Great Basin, the Nez Perce stand alone. These were nomadic people who followed the seasons and lived off nature’s bounty. The Lewis and Clark expedition were the first white make contact and in later years the Nez Perce fought a strategic war that culminated in the last battle fought between the whites and the Indians. After the battle the great Chief Joseph stated that “I will fight no more forever.

This halloween grab a native indian costume and celebrate your heritage.