Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Cherokee Clothing

Cherokee men once wore only a breechcloth and moccasins in warm weather. In colder weather they added leggings and a fringed hunting jacket. Chiefs and priests wore long, full cloaks made of feathers and feather caps (not the traditional and popular plains Indian headdress) or cloth turbans. The men shaved their heads, leaving a topknot (sometimes called a scalplock), which they allowed to grow long, and often their bodies and faces were tattooed.

In warm weather women wore only a short skirt and added a poncho-like top during the winter. In the early 1800s,the Cherokee Tear Dress became the standard traditional fashion for Cherokee women, and the ribbon shirt is worn by men on special occasions. Both have become the standard "regalia" for Cherokee powwow dancing. Both the Ribbon Shirt and the tear dress are made from cotton calico.

The "tear" dresss is so called because in the old days, most Cherokee women didn't have scissiors, so they would "tear" a rectangle or square from a larger bolt of material. This dress style was in vogue during the Trail of Tears forced march, so the word "tear" can be pronounced either way, as in to "tear" the fabric, or Trail of "Tear" dress.

Women made the clothing, but men made the moccasins.

1 comment:

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