In the eastern states and on the Plains the dress of the Indians was
largely composed of tanned and dressed skins such as those of the buffalo
and the deer. Most of the Indians were skilled in dressing skins. The hide
when fresh from the animal was laid on the ground, stretched as tightly as
possible and pegged down all around the edges. As it dried it became still
more taut. A scraper was used to remove the fat and to thin the skin. In
old days this scraper was made of a piece of bone cut to proper form, or
of a stone chipped to a sharp edge; in later times it was a bone handle,
with a blade of iron or steel attached to it. Brains, livers, and fat of
animals were used to soften and dress the skin. These materials were mixed
together and spread over the stretched skin, which was then rolled up and
laid aside. After several days, when the materials had soaked in and
somewhat softened the skin, it was opened and washed: it was then rubbed,
twisted, and worked over until soft and fully dressed.
The men wore three or four different articles of dress. First was the
breech-clout, which consisted of a strip of skin or cloth perhaps a foot
wide and several feet long; sometimes its ends were decorated with
beadwork or other ornamentation. This cloth was passed between the legs
and brought up in front and behind. It was held in place by a band or belt
passing around the waist, and the broad decorated ends hung down from this
something like aprons. Almost all male Indians on the continent wore the
breech-clout.
The men also wore buckskin leggings. These were made in pairs, but were
not sewed together. They fitted tightly over the whole length of the leg,
and sometimes were held up by a cord at the outer upper corner, which was
tied to the waist-string. Leggings were usually fringed with strips of
buckskin sewed along the outer side. Sometimes bands of beadwork were tied
around the leggings below the knees.
[Illustration.]