Highlights Archives
The Museum's Moccasin Collection Goes Online
The Wisconsin Historical Museum proudly presents an online tour of its Native American moccasin collection. The collection includes more than 150 examples from various Native American tribes including the Menominee, Ho-Chunk, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and tribes from the Great Lakes and Plains regions. The museum has been collecting moccasins for more than a century and currently has examples dating from the late 1800s to the late 1900s.
The word moccasin comes from an Algonquian word (with alternate spellings including mocasin, mocassin, moccassin, or mocussin). The adoption of the Algonquian word is partly due to the fact that when the Europeans first arrived in the New World, the first people with whom they interacted were Algonquian. However, despite the common use of the term moccasin for the slipper-shaped shoe, many tribes had and still retain their own word for this particular article of clothing.
Although traditional Native American clothing differed from tribe to tribe, moccasins were one constant and an essential piece of native dress. They were usually constructed from the soft tanned hides of elk, moose, buffalo and deer, stitched together with sinew. Moccasins were designed to provide the best protection for the environment in which they were used. For example, hard-sole moccasins are usually associated with the western plains and desert areas. This style protected the feet from harsh prairie grasses, cactus and rocks. Conversely, soft-soled moccasins, common in the eastern forests, were beneficial for traveling over dense pine needle and leaf-covered forest floors.
Although the construction techniques are similar, tribal designs can be quite distinctive and frequently reflect the importance of environment, religion and traditional values to individual tribes. For example, woodland moccasins were often decorated with floral or zoomorphic patterns on the instep or tongue portions and did not traditionally occur on the sides of the moccasin. Additionally, geometric patterns covering the instep and the circumference around the sole are common on plains-type moccasins. Designs could also signify great achievements, such as valor in battle.
Native American moccasin construction and design have survived for hundreds of years. Moccasins continue to be made and worn by native peoples across the country. Their utility, comfort and beauty have passed the test of time, and it is not surprising that they have made their way into mainstream American culture.
The moccasin collection comprises the fourth of the Society's online museum collection tours, following children's clothing, paintings, and quilts.
:: Posted November 7, 2007
|
