The Evolution of Haudenosaunee Women's Regalia
- Logan Booth
- Nov 19, 2019
- 4 min read
Before I write about the evolution of Haudenosaunee Regalia, I want you to take a moment and reflect on what a marginalized group means to you. In light of recent events regarding hate crimes at Syracuse University, a fashion show about diversity only seems to skim the surface compared to deeper issues this school simply cannot silence any longer. We have failed as a University and as members of a progressive society if we cannot recognize, hold aggressors accountable, and work as a community to change the racial biases, microaggressions, and incidents that continue to suppress people of marginalized groups at SU. People of color, the LGBTQ+ community, international students, and many other underrepresented individuals have and continue to be negatively impacted by the plethora of heinous acts that makes a person fear the identity they call home. I urge whoever is reading this to make time this upcoming week to go to the Barnes Center at the Arch and take part in the #NotAgainSU movement. No one should feel like they are unwelcome in their own"home" away from home. Thank you.
Fashion - or the clothes we choose to wear every day - empowers us to represent certain values and customs that have been passed down through generations. For Native American Heritage Month this year, the concept of material culture inspired Indigenous Students at Syracuse (a group on campus that represents 0.6 % of the undergrad student population) to share what identity through clothing means for the Haudenosaunee People. Below is a shortened(ish) history of Haudenosaunee women's clothing from then to now.
Buckskin Beginnings
Prior to contact with the French, Dutch, and English in the 17th century, the material culture of Haudenosaunee People relied heavily on deer and elk hides for clothing and moccasin material. Women wore buckskin tops and skirts in two pieces, adding leggings and moccasins for winter attire. Sinew - or deer tissue - was used as thread while moose-hair, feathers, wampum, and porcupine quills were used for embellishing purposes. Important clan, celestial tree, and sky-dome symbols related to Haudenosaunee origin stories were used to design moccasin and clothing items.
Trade Material Influence
Introduction to European materials like silver, cloth, and glass beads in the 17th and 18th centuries resulted in a combination of Haudenosaunee designs onto traditional and more modern clothing items. Moccasins made from deer hide and porcupine quills now included intricate glass beadwork accents. Porcupine quills were often dyed various colors to show patterns - as glass beads at the time were available only in the color white.
Raised Beadwork
Mid-eighteenth century regalia into the 19th-century sparked the beginning of more common traditional wear still referenced in todays' Haudenosaunee society. The beadwork patterns of Seneca woman Caroline S. Parker laid the groundwork and the beginning of photo evidence regarding the unique convergence of the dress, skirt, and leggings combination onto wool and cloth fabric. Indigenous women adopted elements of European fashion styles, like loose-fitting cloth dresses - while including their own cultural designs in the beaded top, beaded cuffs, leggings, and skirt. The entire border and corner of the skirt were embroidered with flat beadwork designs symbolic of early quillwork and cultural beliefs.
Intricate color patterns and designs became more easily accessible as European glass beads gained higher popularity at this time. Haudenosaunee women also began a distinctive style of artistry, called raised beadwork, which was inspired in part by admiration of the delicate look of the English lace that women wore. Haudenosaunee women used various colors of glass beads on dark backgrounds to replicate the look of lace. Patterns and techniques associated with raised beadwork also helped Haudenosaunee women economically, as various families began to sell their beadwork to the popular tourist population in Niagra Falls in the 1860s.
Assimilation instead of Acculturation
The introduction of Native American Boarding Schools prevented a large range of material culture from Haudenosaunee artists in the early 20th-century. There is little to no female regalia content from 1900 to 1960, as traditional teachings like quillwork and beadwork artistry had a limited place in contemporary American society. Instead, Haudenosaunee girls grew up away from their families, expected to leave institutions like the Thomas Indian Boarding School in Buffalo, New York, as fit members of modern America. Traditional Haudenosaunee Regalia that was often worn at memorable events, such as weddings, longhouse ceremonies, and graduation ceremonies were no longer accepted. The uniformity of female clothing is a chilling reminder of a time when native women were not able to practice an art form passed down for centuries.
Modern Day Regalia
Culture revitalization regained interest in our nearly forgotten traditional regalia after The American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 relieved the Haudenosaunee from the idea that they had to give up their identity in order to "fit in." The contemporary style of dance, known as the smoke dance, also gained momentum in the mid-1980s. Haudenosaunee People from each nation began to host various competitions across territories.
In the 21st century, Haudenosaunee beadwork designers and seamstresses have added a modern flair to more traditional beginnings. Bright designs and flashy fabrics are used to attract the judges’ attention when dancing, and dresses are now form-fitting - designed to accentuate the flowy material that moves as the dancer spins. Graduation ceremonies now allow Haudenosaunee women to wear their traditional regalia. Material culture is something that has and always will inspire Haudenosaunee women to create art.
Links used:
Комментарии