COASTAL TRIBES:
Coastal Indians were especially fond of necklaces. The most highly prized
were made of dentalium shells, slender white tusk-shaped shells gathered
near the shores of Vancouver Island. Necklaces of beaver teeth, bear
claws, clam shells, and bits of abalone shell indicated wealth. Only the
very wealthy wore nose and lip ornaments.
INLAND TRIBES:
The women of the inland tribes were superior in their dressmaking
skills. Because of the severity of the winters, they had to wear warm
clothing. Their tanned buckskin shirts, skirts, dresses, leggings and
moccasins were not only durable and warm, but beautiful as well. The men's
leggings extended from the hip to the ankle and were supported by a belt.
The women's leggings extended from the knee to the ankle and were supported
by garters. The leggings were trimmed with fringes and ornaments. Over
their buckskin clothing both the men and the women wore robes and blankets
woven of fur or feathers. During periods of snow they wore snowshoes with
upturned toes.
Inland tribes decorated their clothing with the teeth and claws of wild
animals, porcupine quills, scalps of foes killed in battle, feathers, fur,
bone tubes from small animals, and other natural resources. These
decorations were put on the fringe at the bottoms of dresses, shirts and
skirts and at the ends of sleeves. They were also used for necklaces,
ear and nose ornaments and belts.
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Coastal tribes wore very little clothing, except in the coldest weather.
They made extensive use of cedar bark and very little use of animal skins.
The garments they wore were designed more for shedding water than for
providing warmth. They went barefoot even in winter. The women wore
skirts of shredded cedar bark, to which they added a buckskin slip on
cold days. The upper garment worn on cold or rainy days was also of
cedar bark put together with rows of twining spaced 1 to 4 inches apart.
The finer the garment the closer the rows were spaced.
This Cayuse woman is dressed in a typical Plateau beaded
dress with a basketry hat. Her dress was made from two deerskins to which
a fringe was added. The hat, and the basketry bag in her left hand bear
geometric designs. The bag in her right hand has a floral pattern
indicating European influence.