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I’m going to start making my buckskin dress in the next couple of weeks and I can’t find any distinctive southeast buckskin dress construction or designs. I’ve done some beaded strips that have sort of a sioux / floral / agricultural motif that I can add to the dress at the shoulders, I have a large shell gorget, center-seam moccasins with the same siha sapa and floral/agricultural motif beaded onto the flaps and on the instep covering much of the seam. I figure I’ll wear my hair in a “long roll” (whatever that is?) in the back, wrapped in a thong w/ beads or shells. My bead colors are black, white, red and blue, and my buckskin is brain-tanned.
Does anyone know what kind of dress pattern would be most appropriate for our southeast sioux heritage? I gather that I shouldn’t wear the one-shoulder variety. Any input would be most appriciated. I’ll post photos when I’m done too. Thanks all!
I’m not sure that I can be much help but here in NC what I see on the women who are interpreting traditional dress is simplicity. Just a basic one or two piece skirt/mantle decorated with shells, feathers or copper, if decorated at all. Keep in mind that on the east coast at or shortly after contact, seed beads were not available. Fancy beadwork came 200 years later mostly west of the Mississippi.
I would suggest that you use cloth to finalize your pattern and fit before cutting your buckskin. I don’t know how you acquired your buckskin but I do know real braintan is expensive if you have to buy it. I tan my own hides but know IF I had to buy the hides that I wear then the hides alone would have cost over $1600.00. You don’t want to waste any. If someone could buy the regalia that I dance (including all dance sticks, fans and accessories) it would be about $4000.00. I have made or been gifted everything that I dance.
(QUOTE) . . . Just a basic one or two piece skirt/mantle decorated with shells, feathers or copper, if decorated at all. Keep in mind that on the east coast at or shortly after contact, seed beads were not available. Fancy beadwork came 200 years later mostly west of the Mississippi.
I would suggest that . . . I don’t know how you acquired your buckskin but I do know real braintan is expensive if you have to buy it. I tan my own hides but know IF I had to buy the hides that I wear then the hides alone would have cost over $1600.00. . . .
Thanks for the info! I did notice that the ladies in the mid-atlantic have very simple buckskin dresses without much decoration. But eastern cherokee seemed to have such elaborate floral beadwork and the Iroquois too, so I thought we might as well. If I were doing buckskin representing the 1800’s period and not the contact period, would there be more decor, or would they have been wearing cloth at this time?
Regarding my braintan, I didn’t pay nearly that much. Maybe its not great quality – I got it from crazy crow. I saw other places that sold it for much more, but I don’t have that kind of money. I do have some copper and shells though.
Also, there seems to be a bit of debate between historical accuracy and true tradition, and what current “fashion” trends are. It’s confusing. What is your philosophy on construction of your regalia? Thanks for all of your knowledge and expertise in this and thanks for reading my long post!
What Crazy Crow sells is commercial chrome tan buckskin which is fine. That is what most people use. What I make/wear is traditional braintan. It is very labor intensive. After removing the hair and grain, it is soaked in a deer brain mixture, constantly stretched and worked until dry then smoked for several hours. Even at $20/sq ft, I would be lucky to make $5/hr for my labor if I tried to sell any. I do it for the satisfaction of keeping an almost lost craft alive and teaching the public. Many times I am the only one at a powwow wearing braintan.
My “persona” is 1700 mixed-blood. Becky and I also do demo/teaching at schools, nursing homes, and street festivals so I try to stay true to the period. If you are representing mid 1800s or later then, yes, embellishments can be much more intricate. And, yes, when cloth was available to natives, they embraced it with enthusiasm 😉 as they did all advancements that euro trade brought to their culture.
I have some cowries, but i’m not sure that’s the type of shell used. Would it be wampum instead? abalone? Right now, I have copper beads and cowries. But I saw some melon-colored, iridescent shell disks that I was wondering about. (for the upper part of my buckskin dress – just maybe one row of shells).
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