Native American Clothing – The Regalia of the American-Indians

The types of clothing worn by Native Americans were closely associated to their religious beliefs and to the environment in which they inhabited. Each tribe had their own clothing style and could be identified by both the clothing type and the designs added with different forms of quills and beads.

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Native American Clothing - General Overview

Ranging from Arctic tundra to mountains and woodlands, to desert and tropical regions, Native Americans created various clothing styles. In warm regions, for example, little clothing was used. Native American clothing for women, in this case, typically included simple skirts with knee-length, while men were usually naked. Meanwhile, in regions with cooler temperature, more styles of clothing were developed. At this point, Native American clothing included tunic shirts, leggings and loincloths for men, and dresses and skirts for women. In coldest areas, on one hand, people wore mittens, jackets, hooded anoraks, and warm trousers to protect them from freezing temperatures. Despite these dissimilarities in the styles of clothing and climate, Native Americans shared similar basic conception of dwelling in concordance with the nature. This notion greatly influenced the designs and materials they utilized for clothing.

Native American Costume - Men and Women

Native American costume generally included the clothing worn by Native Americans every day and those used for hunting as well as the ceremonial clothing that was only utilized during ceremonies and special events and occasions. For men, costume included a breechcloth, a strip of leather or rawhide connected to a belt; buckskin boots or leather shoes ornamented with various types of beads; and in colder regions, leggings were worn. While shirts were not worn very frequently, ceremonial war shirts decorated with beads, animal tails and quills were utilized in some ceremonies and in times of wars. On the other hand, Native American costume for women typically included skirts with leggings, fur boots and soft moccasins. Similarly, they wore tunics in public, and in colder regions, cloaks derived from animal hide with undamaged fur were used as coats to protect them from too much cold.

Native American Headdress - Other Information

The Native Americans are notable for wearing headdresses. They wore these headdresses not just for its aesthetic value but rather for its deep spiritual importance. Native American headdress is a very crucial part of the culture of Native Americans. Generally, Native Americans regarded the headdress as the extension of their souls. They would utilize different kinds of ornaments and personal medicine to ornament the hair and then finalized with a truly exciting headdress. Usually created from stunning bird feathers, the headdress is more emblematic than anything else. However, not all in the tribe could use one because the Native American headdress was only allotted for the most influential and powerful in the tribe. The most common type of headdresses included the full eagle-feather warbonnet, the horned one, the special golden eagle feather headdress, the headdress in the form of a cap or hat, and the animal skin type headdress.