The moccasin is a real Indian invention, and it bears an Indian name. It
is the most comfortable foot-wear that could be devised for the Indian
mode of life. It is made of buckskin and closely fits the foot. Moccasins
usually reach only to the ankle, and are tied close with little thongs of
buckskin. They have no heels, and no part is stiff or unpleasant to the
foot. The exact shape of the moccasin and its decoration varies with the
tribe.
In some tribes there is much difference between the moccasins of men and
those of women. Among the Sacs and Foxes the woman’s moccasin has two side
flaps which turn down and nearly reach the ground; these, as well as the
part over the foot, are covered with a mass of beading; the man’s moccasin
has smaller side flaps, and the only beading upon it is a narrow band
running lengthwise along the middle part above the foot.
The women of the Pueblos are not content with simple moccasins, but wrap
the leg with strips of buckskin. This wrapping covers the leg from the
ankles to the knees and is heavy and thick, as the strips are wound time
after time around the leg. At first, this wrapping looks awkward and ugly
to a stranger, but he soon becomes accustomed to it.
[Illustration.]