Moccasins

Moccasins are a type of soft footwear made of processed leather (suede). They were sown of one peace of leather that was cut in the form of a foot. It took a woman 10-15 minutes to make one pair of moccasins. In each tribal group women decorated moccasins in their own way. According to the pattern one could define the tribal affiliation of their owner.

There were moccasins of two main types – with soft sole which was not separate from the upper part of the shoe, and with hard sole that was made separately from a more solid material. Soft moccasins were typical of the Indians who lived in the taiga zone, the North-West coast and the East. Moccasins with solid soles were made by the Eskimo people, the Indians of the South-West and some other western territories. In the Great Plains region both variants were spread.

When spending the night in winter forests hunters took moccasins off and hang them by the fire to dry. Many Indians of the Great Lakes district have a legend about a guileful father-in-law who, aiming to destroy his son-in-law, gets up at night and quietly throws his moccasins into the fire. The son-in-law, however, turns out to be slier. Having anticipated the old man’s plan, he swaps the drying moccasins in advance, and in the morning the father-in-law finds out that he had burnt his own ones. As a result, the old man freezes to death in the forest. However, another ending is also known – he heats a large stone in the fire, and rolls it in front of him to melt a path in the snow, and, thus, reaches home.

Moccasins. USA. Winnebago. Early 20th cent.		Moccasins. USA. The Blackfoot. XIX c.