Travels through the states of North America, and the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, during the years 1795, 1796, and 1797 [Vol. 2 of 2]Weld, Isaac
History
Travels through the states of North America, and the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, during the years 1795, 1796, and 1797 [Vol. 2 of 2]
Weld, Isaac
Canada -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; United States -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
They also wear round the waist another string, from which are suspended
two little aprons, somewhat more than a foot square, one hanging down
before and the other behind, and under these a piece of cloth, drawn
close up to the body between the legs, forming a sort of truss. The
aprons and this piece of cloth, which are all fastened together, are
called the breech cloth. The utmost ingenuity of the squaws is exerted
in adorning the little aprons with beads, ribands, &c.
The moccasins, leggings, and breech cloth constitute the whole of the
dress which they wear when they enter upon a campaign, except indeed it
be a girdle, from which hangs their tobacco pouch and scalping knife,
&c.; nor do they wear any thing more when the weather is very warm; but
when it is cool, or when they dress themselves to visit their friends,
they put on a short shirt, loose at the neck and wrists, generally made
of coarse figured cotton or callico of some gaudy pattern, not unlike
what would be used for window or bed curtains at a common inn in
England. Over the shirt they wear either a blanket, large piece of broad
cloth, or else a loose coat made somewhat similarly to a common riding
frock; a blanket is more commonly worn than any thing else. They tie one
end of it round their waist with a girdle, and then drawing it over
their shoulders, either fasten it across their breasts with a skewer, or
hold the corners of it together in the left hand. One would imagine that
this last mode of wearing it could not but be highly inconvenient to
them, as it must deprive them in a great measure of the use of one hand;
yet it is the mode in which it is commonly worn, even when they are
shooting in the woods; they generally, however, keep the right arm
disengaged when they carry a gun, and draw the blanket over the left
shoulder.
[Sidenote: OF THE INDIANS.]
The dress of the women differs but very little from that of the men.
They wear moccasins, leggings, and loose short shirts, and like them
they throw over their shoulders, occasionally, a blanket or piece of
broad cloth, but most generally the latter; they do not tie it round
their waist, however, but suffer it to hang down so as to hide their
legs; instead also of the breech cloth, they wear a piece of cloth
folded closely round their middle, which reaches from the waist to the
knees. Dark blue or green cloths in general are preferred to those of
any other colour; a few of the men are fond of wearing scarlet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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