Clothes and jewelry

When the Europeans arrived to the New World they were struck with the Indians’ clothes. Most Native Americans were clothes made of suede – curried buffalo or deer skins. Deer skins were preferred, as it was lighter, more durable and soft and protected well from cold, wind and moisture. In some regions clothes were made of fish skins, animal guts, and whole birds’ skins with feathers. In the West and the South-East vegetable fiber was used along with suede and fur. Only in the South-West Pueblo Indians made cotton fabrics like peoples of Mesoamerica. With the arrival of the Spanish the old weaving technique was soon replaced with a more perfect one adopted from the Europeans. Male and female clothes had very few differences. Clothes were decorated with fringe, braids and tabs made of split porcupine quills, as well as small beads cut out of shells called “wampum”. The Indians of the North-East decorated their belts with different symbols made of wampum which denoted the most important events in their lives – making peace, rich harvest, etc. From the 18th century glass beads began to be used to make “wampum” belts.  

Representatives of both sexes liked decorations. Women most often decorated their clothes with porcupine quills, and later with European glass beads. Men took pride in necklaces and pendants made of fangs of animals killed while hunting. 

Portrait of man. USA.The  Dakota. Mid-to-late 19th cent.		The Eskimo family. Greenland. The Eskimo. Hinrih Reenk. 1860s.		Headman of settlement in chilkat mantle.  USA, Alaska. The Tlingits.  Prior Georgi (Chudnovsky). 1890.
Eskimo woman in fur parka. USA. Alaska. The Central Yupik, late 19th c.		Hail Stone. USA. The Dakota, late 19th c.		Portrait of man. USA.The  Dakota. Mid-to-late 19th cent.
Chief Little Head. USA. The Dakota, late 19th c.		Eskimo of East Greenland in winter cloths. Greenland. Greenland Eskimos. Talbizer W., 1905		Woman's traditional hairstyle. Greenland. Greenland Eskimos. Talbizer W., 1905
A woman's traditional hairstyle. Greenland. Greenland Eskimos. Talbizer W., 1905		Aleutian woman in traditional wear. USA. Umnak The Aleutians. Iohelson V., 1909		Hat. Russian America.                                 The Tlingits, 1800-1810
Moccasins. USA. The Winnebago.		Vest. USA. The Ne-perse  1901-1950.		Jacket. Greenland. Greenland Eskimos, 1963
Aymara girl. Bolivia. The Aymara Indians, before 1915 year		Aymara Indian in dancing costume. Bolivia. The Aymara Indians, before 1915 year		Aymara Indian in dancing costume. Bolivia. The Aymara Indians, before 1915 year
Group of squatting Ona Indians. Argentina. Tierra del Fuego. The Ona Indians, before 1915 year		Group of squatting Ona Indians. Argentina. Tierra del Fuego. The Ona Indians, before 1915 year		Portrait of three Ona Indians. Argentina. Tierra del Fuego. The Ona Indians, before 1915 year
Ona Indian shooting of a bow. Argentina. Tierra del Fuego. The Ona Indians, before 1915 year		Portrait of Ona woman, weaving a basket. Argentina. Tierra del Fuego. The Ona Indians before 1915 year		View of a couple of Alacaluf Indians in a boat. Argentina. Tierra del Fuego. Alacaluf, before 1915 year