Ribbon Skirts in Haudenosaunee Country
There has been an incredible resurgence of Indigenous clothing styles happening all across turtle island. Beaded medallions are worn for everyday occasions, native designers are producing wonderful clothing lines, and the amount of sweet Native T-shirts available is just so satisfying.
One article of clothing which has gotten much attention lately is the "Ribbon Skirt". All across Indian Country, the ribbon skirt has become the garment of choice for formal occasions public and private. The designs are myriad but the essential use of colorful ribbon borders and cloth foundations are the standard.
More than a few people have asked me about the historic nature of the garment and whether or not it could be considered "traditional" to Haudenosaunee people. I hope that this post can help folks understand a bit about tradition and also about clothing history too.
Tradition is simply something that happens twice in a row usually. Native folks create new traditions all the time, and what was once traditional could be considered old fashioned and out of date tomorrow.
I am reminded of the era where the western "war bonnet" was so commonly seen in Haudenosaunee country. For a time, it was traditional headwear but that changed slowly and now the ash splint gustoweh is considered the traditional headdress - but even today, folks are looking into older styles and customs and bringing them forward like the porcupine quilled headdresses that are sometimes seen around. Things change and old becomes new and what was new becomes old.
To address the question of the women's ribbon skirt we should know a few things first. One, is that, modern cloth and ribbons are materials that were available only after Native people demanded them in the colonial period. But for Haudenosaunee people, that sort of commerce began a LONG time ago. By the mid 1600's, European goods were well known and commonly found in every Haudenosaunee community. Think about that for a second. That's a 350 year old traditional use of European cloth. I'd say that is a pretty strong tradition.
Cloth in all it's forms made up slightly more than half of the European goods incorporated into indigenous households during this colonial period. Here is a chart (stolen directly from "To Do Justice To Him and Myself" by Kees-Jan Waterman - worth picking up a copy...) identifying the percentage of trade goods that went out from a prominent Albany traders family.
From this cloth could be made: shirts, leggings, breech cloths, wearing blankets (matchcoats), hoods, mittens and yes. Skirts. Wrap skirts to be specific. These are simple garments made from a single length of cloth (wool most often) and decorated with silk ribbon in broad stacks of primary colors. Sometimes simple beaded edges or beaded decorations inside the ribbon trim were done. They were usually made to wrap around the hips with an overlap to one side of the dominant leg.
This is the origins of the classic Haudenosaunee women's skirt. Later, it becomes heavily beaded in beautiful lace beadwork designs. We can see that sort of skirt appearing in the mid 19th century. Here is an example form the NYS Museum that Caroline Parker-Mt Pleasant made during this period.
But what did the early examples from the 1700's look like? It's unfortunate that scant few extant examples exist. We get most of the information about what they looked like from descriptions, ledgers of available fabric and ribbon, and historic images of women from this era.
I am going to post a few images that show skirts of this era to give an idea of the variety but also of the cut and color pallet that these women preferred.
This first image is of Saint Kateri Tekawitha believed to be painted by Father Chauchetiere in the late 17th century. It still hangs in Kahnawake since that time.
Her clothing is typical of the late 17th century. Her "dress" is actually a patterned cloth shirt worn outside as a tunic. Patterned shirts were strictly a Native preference and traders complied with their tastes whenever they saw the change. Her skirt is a simple wrap skirt with subtle ribbon trim and matching side seam leggings.
The next image is an engraving from La Potherie (1722) of Haudenosaunee women dancing. I've seen some of these moves on some women today! The clothing is much the same as the 17th century. Simple wrap skirts trimmed in ribbon or woven tape, loose shirts but with the possible addition of an over coat like garment called a cassique/mantlet/bedgown.
Take notice of the women's hairstyles. They are parted down in the middle, with a single gathered and folded braid in the back. These "clubs" of hair are then wrapped in ribbon, or cloth or even shiny tanned eel skins. Sometimes these hair clubs were covered in wampum. Here is an image of two such wampum hair wraps.
The next image is from the studio of Benjamin West, an American-born artist who became known for his images of Native people while in England later in his life. This example shows a wonderful detail of women's clothing of the mid 18th century. The woman wears a cloth shirt (a bit unusual to be sleeveless but maybe cut down for summer use) with one arm out of its sleeve for nursing. Her skirt is a great example of ribbon or tape decorations. The white zigzag decorations are probably round glass "seed" beads sewn down one at a time which we see in other examples of clothing from this era. Her side-seam leggings are scalloped and trimmed out in ribbon like her skirt. Her moccasins are worn with the flap up and the leggings tucked inside. When wearing moccasins outdoors this prevents small pebbles or even ticks from getting inside your clothing.
This next image is an anonymous image from the 18th century. By the style and by the "hand" my best guess is that it was done by James Peachey, a artist working in the late 18th century with Native peoples being a favorite subject. It clearly shows a woman wearing a wrap skirt trimmed in ribbon or woven tape with small silver ring brooches in a simple horizontal pattern. Her wearing blanket (Matchcoat) is also trimmed in rows of ribbon as are her red wool leggings.
This next image is a detail from Thomas Davies painting of Fort La Galette on the St Lawrence River. You can see the Haudenosaunee woman wearing her blue wool skirt decorated in rows of yellow ribbon. She might be wearing buckskin leggings or possibly they are yellow wool like her wearing blanket.
These next two images are of Wendat/Wyandot people from the last quarter of the 18th century. Both women are wearing simple wrap skirts. Incidentally, the women are likely selling fingerwoven sashes which are held draped over their arms. Street vendors would walk around city centers or waterfronts selling their wares. Native women were known to sell herbs, moccasins, baskets and sashes in this method around Montreal during this period.
It is important to look at historic references to add some detail to what we might be looking at in the painted or drawn images.
"The dress which particularly distinguishes the women is a petticoat or strowd, blue, red or black, made of a piece of cloth about two yards long, adorned with red, blue or yellow bands laid double and bound about the body."
History of the Northern American Indians by David Zeisberger 1779-1780 among the Delaware and Mingo (Ohio Valley Seneca)
"...they wear a skirt of deerskin or cloth instead of a loincloth. This goes around the body, and is doubled over a belt or cord around the hips. This skirt, called a "matchicote", reached only to the knees, and often has ribbons for decoration or ornaments around the bottom, as well as porcupine quills and little bells."
Travels in New France by J.C. Bonnin 1751-1761
"the women wear an under petticoat called machicote, made of an ell of blue or red cloth of the quality like that of Berri or Carcassonne. The lower edge is ornamented with several strips of yellow, blue and red ribbon or English edge lace. This arrangement resembles a couriers frock. It is fastened around the waist by a strap. The shirt passes over and cover this."
Memoir upon the Late War in North America 1755-60 by Pierre Pouchot
We can also look at dolls of this time period. This is a wonderful doll from Cambridge showing a few details that are of importance. She is wearing the ubiquitous wrap skirt trimmed in woven tape and some simple beadwork. Also take notice of her beaded garters and a curious beaded cuff. It turns out the other cuff was removed and tucked into her beaded belt behind her back. These cuffs seem to be associated with both men and women.
Father Lafitau in the 17th century illustrates and describes their use. "1&2, Figures of the Indians of the Iroquois and Huron Tribes clothed in modern style, man and woman...8, Bracelet of wampum worked in little cylinders"
You can see clearly the woman and the man wearing these wampum bracelets. For an incomplete but relevant survey of these wampum and imitation glass wampum cuffs see, "Wampum Held by the Oneida Indian Nation, Inc. of New York: Research Relating to Wampum Cuffs and Belts" by Marshall Becker. Take notice of the small illustration numbered "8" which shows the cuff/bracelet clearly as an object.
Here is an example of the wampum cuff at the Peabody Museum Harvard.
To get back on track, here is a doll from the Wendat/Wyandot (Huron) people dated to the last quarter of the 18th century. She is wearing a wonderful printed cloth shirt with copious imitation glass wampum strands as a necklace and as earrings. Her skirt is trimmed in green wool woven ribbon/tape.
My hope is that this is posting is a basic tutorial for women's dress of the colonial period but mostly to demonstrate the use of ribbon skirts among the Haudenosaunee.
I am in no way any sort of cultural "police" who says what is traditional or not. I am just helping define the style, color and fit of this garment for this time period and hopefully informing folks about a tradition that was once the most common among their ancestors. I also want to suggest that these old style skirts ARE the actual ancestors of the modern ribbon skirt.
Have fun and enjoy life as the Creator intended.
Michael
