The Southeast Clothing
Introduction
I’m studying the clothing of the southeast region. The southeast region includes the states, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and a little bit of Louisiana. The days in the southeast would be hot and dry, and the nights would be windy, but mild. I will teach you about how they made their clothing, how they decorated their clothing and what types of clothing they wore. I studied the Native Americans that lived about 500 years ago. Some of the tribes that lived there were, the Caddo tribe, the Cherokee tribe, the Chickasaw tribe, the Seminole tribe, the Natchez tribe and the Choctaw tribe. The clothing that the Native Americans made, helped them to survive, all year long.
How Clothing is made
Clothing was made from different animals, and the process was put together with a lot of different steps. The most common animals that were used were; elk, deer, and plant materials (such as mulberry trees.) They also used woven fibers from hemp plants and skins from various animals. The Caddo tribe mostly used elk and deer. The Chickasaw tribe made clothing from various animals and plant materials. The Natchez made skirts, by pounding mulberry trees together. The Cherokee used deerskin for almost all of their clothing. In the winter, boys and men wore skins like bear, beaver, and panther with the fur on the inside for warmth. Most tribes wore moccasins on their feet and long deerskin leggings. Cherokee women and girls wore shirts made of deer calfskin, with the hair on the inside for warmth, also. They wore deerskin shirts decorated with small turkey feathers.
The steps to make clothing were not complicated, but definitely not that easy. First, most of the tribes scraped the meat and hair that remained from the hides, and then they tanned them (meaning to make hide into leather, by soaking it in a special liquid). Finally they used a special tool called an awl (meaning a pointed tool for making small holes in materials, such as wood or leather, sort of like a bone needle) to make holes and thread sinew (meaning a band of tough fibers that joins a muscle to a bone) to sew the tanned hides together. The men wore breechcloths (meaning a piece of hide or cloth, usually worn by men, that wraps between the legs and ties with a belt around the waist) fringed shirts, and leggings. The women wore woven-grass breechcloths under their dresses. The women in all tribes made the clothing, while men hunted for the materials. The tanning process made the material soft enough to work with. The Caddo tribe sewed with sinew, Chickasaw women used awls and needles, made of bone to help them sew and they also used thread made of deer sinew or plant fibers. The process of making clothing was not a sweet dream; it was reality and almost the only way to make clothing. The decoration of the clothing could brighten the emotions or bring them down, to a point of sadness, because what the Native Americans decorated with could change the emotions a lot. This was the process of how they made their clothing.
Decoration and Style
Many of the tribes in the southeast region decorated their clothing in different ways. The Choctaw tribe decorated some clothing with drawings of colorful animals or human figures. They used plant dyes to make their colors. Cherokee people used shell beads, porcupine quills, stone disks, animal hair and feathers to decorate their clothing. The clothing of the Caddo tribe was colored by plant dye and minerals. Sometimes tribes used moose hair to decorate their clothing. In some tribes, but mostly the Caddo tribe, the men pulled out all of the hair on their heads, except for a long strip down the middle called a mohawk. Both men and women wore their hair long. The men of the Chickasaw tribe shaved the hair along the sides of their heads. The tuft (meaning a bunch of hair) of hair left down the center was kept in place with bear grease. The women of the Chickasaw tribe simply tied up their long hair with stems from flowers. Chickasaw warriors painted their faces to show their personalities and to intimidate, or frighten, their enemies. Wampum belts were very important too. Wampum patterns are used to help the storytellers remember all of the words to tell the story. The decoration for the clothing was very important. The decoration could symbolize many things they did as they lived. The decoration could change a lot, depending on who they were, a man, a woman, or a child.
The Types of Clothing
When it was cold outside, the clothing could be layered one on top of each other. Many animals were used to keep warm. Women wore mantles around their shoulders. Mantles were made out of plant fibers and animal hides. Mantles were a kind of scarf, which was made out of fur and could be very helpful in the cold winter. Some men wore mantles made of swan feathers. These were prized. This type of mantle was the most honorable badge that any kind of warrior could gain. During cold weather, the men and women of the Caddo tribe and the Chickasaw tribe wore robes made out of deer or bear furs. Men wore tall deerskin boots. These boots kept them warm and protected their feet from bushes and thorns. In most tribes the girls dressed like their mothers, aunts, and sisters all year long, just in a miniature way. The boys dressed like their fathers, uncles, and brothers, just in a miniature way, too. The Caddo tribe wore moccasins on their feet. These were made from deerskin hide because it was tough. Moccasins protected their feet from rocks and thorns.
Chickasaw women wore dresses and men wore breechcloths and shirts. To protect their feet, both men and women wore moccasins. The women of the Cherokee tribe wore wrap-around and knee-length skirts. Sometimes men and women wore deerskin moccasins that reached halfway to the knee. Men wore breechcloths (meaning a piece of fabric about 18 inches wide that passed between the legs and was held at the waist by a belt) with the ends hanging down in front and back that almost touched the knees. After European contact Cherokee women began to model their clothing after white women, using the soft cloth traded for Indian skins and furs. Also, Cherokee women excelled at weaving fine cloth. Now they used European spinning wheels and looms. How the clothing is made, what was the decoration and styles, and what did men, women and children wear, were the three most important things in the process of making clothing. It would take quite a long time to complete this process, but this was how they did it.
Conclusion
When you think about, how long it took to make one, single piece of clothing today, it’s easy. Because, we have washing machines, irons and a lot of technology. But no! That wasn’t the case back then. They didn’t have any kind of machines. They did it by hand, one by one, stitch by stitch. It could take days and weeks, even months! But, still when you look back at the amazing, truly fantastic work, you should now feel so proud that you had the chance to learn about the spectacular Native Americans.
