- This topic has 10 voices and 55 replies.
-
Posts
-
Hello All, I thought that it would be easier for me just to sign in as who I signout as!The issue of foot wear is always an important one, often it has been said that another person can tell where the other is from by the style of thier moccasins. When I lived in the northern part of Alberta, at first all Cree moccasins looked the same until a friend started pointing out the finer details. And I think that we should try and do the same here, I have found many types of center seam moccasins, the gathering was different from another, the heel was sewn oddly?, on and on… so I’m asking should we come up with a moccasin pattern for the Yesah and /or the Eastern Blackfoot people? We know of the 3 arrows pattern and that allows us something of what I’m getting at,but lets be able to identify each other not only by our tattoos etc but also by everything we do, beyond moccasins aswell, hope to hear from y’All. Tom.
Tom –
this data may be hard to come by as exact as you’re interested in. unless there are more notes from missouri or northern groups who’ve left? i dont know them.
but here, we see the earliest documentation coming from the written descriptions of smith and strachey on clothing. their reference is primarily on coastal algonquian, but it is well thought that dress was very similiar through region. other visuals come from white, who shows center seam mocs – but the original is now lost. DeBry’s engravings of white work depict a straight center seam with a turned up cuff.
similiar more contemporary sources include both cherokee and creek, but some variation is bound to apply. I have a pattern for several southern styles, and have had good success in producing them.
the ones i have now are from a pattern a friend of my ggrandfathers. they have a centerseam sewn bunched near toe with a small tab protruding, half way up the stitch changes to a running stitch.
id be happy to send you copies if you’d like.
Archeologically, we have very little to work with. although at Saura town site NC there was a young woman who had an enormous amount of beadwork – shell on her shoes. recreations have made that design a rosette – but i think that may be due to the craftsman’s western background. any one else have input on shoe wear?
Hello, Buck I have sent a photo to Linda of my Mother’s 1st cousin wearing center seam moccasins but it will need some work to really see what they are,my cousin did remeber wearing them aswell. I contacted one of N.A. best quill workers and we are staring an exchange, we have done so in the past abit but nothing specific. I may be able to get him to join in here. He did a very interesting study that he told me about,(on these moccasins) and many variations are out there of this type of foot wear, but I think that we should address this. Yes ofcourse I would like to have a copy of your pattern Buck, I have one pattern and photos from the Ok. Cherokee/ Shawnee if you’d like to trade? The shell work from the SAura Woman sounds very ineteresting do you think that we could get pic’s for the site.? BTA, Tom
Tom –
we should exchange addresses.
i can give you what i have from NC museum of history. met with the curator about Saura town woman’s attire.
also pattern for mocs and copy of photos of ggrandads buddy wearin his.
i have an article written about that style as well with alot of insight on “how to”s.
best info from that site is at NC arch’s in raleigh. however, the link in the beginning of the forum to ocanneechi has a CD rom of the “ocaneechi town”. that is fantastic if you can get a copy – Windows user only.
i would like to see your pattern – email me on the address issue, ive got a good copy machine.
I’ve been interested in the Saura woman’s clothing also. I saw the re-creation ten years ago when I first moved to the East. I remember feeling disquieted about the display. This was long before I had any idea I would ever know any details about the “Indians in our family,” and certainly had no idea that they derived from these parts.
It seemed a bit macabre at the time that they had “remade” this person from her bones. I don’t know if it wasn’t that well done, or if it was just the first time I’d seen it. Or were they also displaying her bones alongside? Maybe that’s what seemed disrespectful. I can’t remember. Maybe it was just my imagination conjuring up the bones.
Last spring I went with my mom to that museum and was trying to find that display again. I was told that it was on loan, but the bronze statue on the steps of the museum was of her. Funny how radically our perceptions can change. When I saw her this time, I thought she looked lovely and was very interested in her clothes — haute couture.
Later that summer I talked to an archeologist at Town Creek and it was from her that I learned that this was the Saura woman, she was Siouan, and the re-creation was probably the closest approximation of what women in this region would have worn in the winter. (I personally don’t believe we went around half nekkid all winter with a feather cape on top, sorry. Anybody I’m related to would have ached all winter and worn LAYERS.)
On loan! ha – more like falling apart.
the original was done of a poor quality using paster casts of the bones. the bronze was done in hopes to preserve the work that was done. the garments are in the vaulted storage of the museum – waiting on a “new” body, funding which is waiting on funding.
debate on the presentation –
some parts im happy with, and feel are fairly accurate. others i feel are way to western influenced in recreation (artist was from montana and skilled in plains reproductions) but i also think the evidence points to this being a special garment, one that was made for a special transition (marriage, death). there are Hundreds of Metal bells on this dress, and huge pieces of copper and brass. for 1640 piedmont NC, this is a very socially, culturally, and monetarily expensive dress for a young lady.
Greetings:
I have been wearing moc’s for many years as I have a condition called PKD and I retain a lot of fluid. My feet swell up at times so bad I can not walk and even on my best of days I still have to use a cane. The moc’s are comfortable and seem to give with my feet. I would like to purchase a real pair apposed to the store bought kind. Can anybody point me in the right direction?
BTW…..also searching for the name of a root that can be brewed much like a tea that helps take away the fluid. My mother knew an Indian lady out in Washington State that supplied her with this ground root but never told her what it was. Mother would brew it like tea and sweeten it with honey.I am a diabetic but there are several good artificial sweetners. If anybody knowes what root this could be or where I could send for moc’s please email me.
Brenda @ bj04@mediaone.net
Hey Brenda, 1st we need to know what colour the ground root looked like and what it tatsted like I hvae friends that know of a simalar sounding root, I know that you could get it near you if you can better tell me more about it. As for the mocc’s i’ll keep your name handy and if I get some good smoke tan hides done I’ll send for your foot pattern etc, but anyone here may be able to help you sooner than I.best to all. Tom
Hello All,let me clarify some concerns here. The main differences that I have seen with this style of moccasin is that 1 the seam goes under the toe of the moccasin and shows very little puckering,2 the puckering is all on top of the foot and can be either very fine or very coarse. These seams can be left raw or have some very fine decorations on them, also some of the latter type have a gathering thread or lace around the outside of the pattern and then drawn up to create a puckered area, sometimes this thread is left quite long and left inside the toe. My concern is what type should we try and develope for ourselves to use? Input please anyone. Best To All, Tom.
Tom, As best I can remember the root was a bittersweet orange in color and it had been gound fine. The Indian woman was from the desert area of Arizonia but had married and moved to the NW. She would go home on visits and bring a pouch of this root back. After leaving the mountains of WV my folks settled along the Puyallup River at the edge of The Puyallup Indian Reservation.
The root was brewed much like the common household tea and sweetened to taste. It acted as a diaretic, a pain reliever, and muscle relaxer all in one.
Brenda
Hello Brenda, my best reply is to try and locate someone from that area (where your family lived out west)that could help supply you with that root. Perhaps the ladies family that your folks got it from. I don’t recognize an orange tea although there are several that are red with the a simalar result. You have to be very careful with herbal medicines, if that doesn’t work try and find a local herbalist , perhaps from Qualla or Catawbas. Also you may want to try and do some research into that topic, but be very careful when harvesting such things. One medecine to try is sweet flag but like I say look into it first before you take anything, it’s latin name is acorus calamus and is used around the world for many things.You can perchase it it health food stores or herbal stores, if you find it helps or you want some from up here I can try and get it for you, but it will also grow down there too. Best to All, Tom.
This is a great center seam moccasin pattern. It seeeems to be a native pattern, it doesn’t use any European conventions, like rulers, etc. It’s from the re-enactor’s yahoo group, NativeList. Hope the link works. Let me know if it doesn’t.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NativeList/files/Patterns/mocs2.jpg
Mecou, would like to know any good visual sites for rolling feathers and attachment to head bands in a Native Southeastern/Saponi fashion. Bila huk oho!
Tom & others interested:
i dug up some patterns to send you snail mail
on southeastern center seems from an old primitive tech bulletin. i also plan to include a few articles with digrams on twisted rabbitskin blankets (noted as being in our area), vegetable fibered mocs / sandles from Mammouth cave KY (closer to us than examples from Southwest!), and corn husk mocs. you should be familiar with twining techniques and cordage qualities. ive had success with several of the moc patterns and now prefer centerseams to all others, and even a favorite amongst those. the corn husk biz is hard – but very cool. ive only done a small basket plug for a quiver (like debry). And the rabbits? well ive tried using the $1 rabbit skins – but they just dont stay twined after being chemical tanned. you really need braintan or fresh rabbit skins – and i just havent aquired enough rabbits ever to make much of anything garment size using a twined fury cordage. now i guess squirrel could be used – and that may be an alternative. each squirrel season there are a dozen available hides here and alot in hollister. there is still a tradition of tacking squirrel skins to house / barn sides down there – kind of a trophy held over from when i suppose they were useful as pelts…
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
