Vintage Boots: Girl Moccasins

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Girl Moccasins

Though the basic construction of Native American moccasins was similar throughout North America, moccasin patterns were subtly different in nearly every tribe, and Indian people could often tell each other's tribal affiliation simply from the design of their shoes.
(In fact, the common names of some large nations like the Blackfoot and the Chippewas refer to their characteristic moccasin styles.)
Tribal differences included not only the cut of the moccasins but also the extensive bead work, quill work, and painted designs many Indian people lavished on their shoes.

In some tribes hardened rawhide was used for the sole for added durability, and in others rabbit fur (or, later, sheepskin) was used to line the leather moccasins for added warmth.