Clothing For Women and Children

Dresses

When designing and making a garment a lot of thought, time and hard work went into it. Apart from everyday wear, most of the dresses depicted below would have been made and then worn on special occasions only. The material for the early dresses was obtained from game, mostly deer, elk and bighorn sheep, with the white man came materials from Europe which were then incorporated into the designs.

The three popular styles were side folded, two-hide, and three-hide dresses. By 1820 most women in the Northern Plains, Plateau, and Great Basin preferred the two sided dresses because the full skirts were more practical to their horseback lifestyle.

SIDE FOLDED DRESSES

     

TWO HIDE-DRESSES

Two hides with the top folded over.

THREE-HIDE DRESSES

     

Sioux cloth dress, ca 1890
South Dakota

Hunkpapa Lakota cloth dress, ca 1890
North Dakota


 

Sioux cloth dress, ca 1890
North Dakota

Yankton Dakota two hide pattern dress with full beaded yoke, (back view), ca 1940
South Dakota

Arapaho two-hide pattern dress with fully beaded yoke, ca 1900
Wyoming

Sioux two hide pattern dress with fully beaded yoke, ca 1910
South or North Dakota

Cheyenne Dress circa 1850

Although identified as a Cheyenne dress this is in fact a Sioux garment. The confusion was because it displays Cheyenne characteristics, not only in the cut and shape but, for example - the large amount of black beads used in the beadwork.

This dress is in a private collection in Utah

The three image above, as well as the description of the dress is used with the kind permission of Native Arts Trading

Sioux Cloth Dress, circa 1900.

Clothing for Babies and children

     
 left to right

Comanche cradleboard, ca 1890. Flathead cradleboard, ca 1880. Arapaho Cradleboard, ca 1890.

Achomawi (from northeast California) mother and child.

Considered gifts from the Great Spirit babes were carried on their mothers back for about a year. The construction, design, beading, and colours of each of the cradles were meant to physically and spiritually protect the child.

Childs dress

This beautifully made Lakota dress would have only be worn on special occasions.