Men's Clothing Guidelines

How to use this document:

The first section gives a description of the basics of dress and general appearance. The second section describes how to construct the various pieces of clothing and sources for purchasing what you can't make yourself. Additional reading and research is recommended; our understanding of eastern woodland Indian material culture is by no means complete.

SECTION I

1. Breechclout - color should be red, blue, green, or black - the preferred colors for wool were red and blue. Red should be fairly bright; blue is more of a navy blue than a cobalt. Look for a light- to medium-weight wool, and if you can find one with a "hard" texture, so much the better. Wool broadcloth is usually readily available and is reasonably close to the appropriate weight for stroud wool. The breechclout should be no more than mid-thigh length. Tie it around your waist with a cord or leather thong.

2. Wool side-seam leggings - same selection of colors for wool as the breechclout; legging color does not need to match the clout. Leggings should reach to mid-thigh and be tailored close to your leg; allow at least a three-inch flap on the sides. Leggings are tied to the strap used for the breechclout. These may be decorated with silk ribbon or beading if you like; decoration runs the length of the flaps and around the bottom of opening. Leggings aren't totally necessary in hot weather; however, they do provide protection when working over a fire or when walking through brush.

3. Leg ties - should be fingerwoven strips about 1.5 to 2 inches wide. Beadwork or quilled ties are also appropriate; a length of worsted tape or a wool strip or leather thong will also do. The most common weave throughout the period was the oblique weave, although patterns such as chevrons, arrowheads, and lightnings begin to appear in the later Revolutionary War period.

4. Center seam moccasins - don't get pre-made moccasins of the "bedroom slipper" style; these have the wrong construction.

5. Shirt - white linen, plain or with neck and/or wrist ruffles, is preferred. In period, a little over half of the described shirts are white linen; of the remainder, about half are various solid colors and the rest prints or checks. So a colored shirt isn't wrong, but is less common than white. Cotton was also available by the late war period, but again, was less common than white linen. So get the linen - you'll be more comfortable anyway.

6. Matchcoat or blanket - can be decorated with ribbon or left plain.

7. Hair - The problem here is that we're dealing with a genotype. The common hair color was dark - black or very dark brown. If your hair is any lighter than a medium brown, you should color it. One of the most commonly documented hairstyles is a scalplock; the head is shaved or plucked with the exception of a patch of hair at the crown which is then braided. The lock may be decorated with silver or other trinkets. Other regional styles are also common; look at period paintings and descriptions for other ideas.

1. Hide leggings - Hide clothing, usually leggings, still turns up in accounts from this period, though much less frequently than clothing made of the ubiquitous red and blue wool. Descriptions of clothing made from trade cloth outnumber those of clothing made from hide, however.

2. Painted shirt - There are mentions in captivity narratives of trade shirts that were painted on the shoulders and worn until they disintegrated. Painted (or paint-smeared) shirts turn up in the record, though many of the accounts predate our period.

3. Shoes - Shoes were worn by natives in the 18th century, but should be less common than moccasins in the camp.

4. Coat - Sleeved waistcoat, full-skirted French-style capote, or cheaply-made civilian-style gentleman's coat made of gaudy red, blue, or printed fabric with lace and shiny buttons. The latter style is more appropriate for a leader or chief warrior; it is not a common item. Coats should be less common in the camp than matchcoats.

1. Jewelry - Basics include silver ball-and-cone earrings, nose rings, ear twists, brass or silver bracelets, wampum bracelets and necklaces, trade bead necklaces, wound-glass pony bead necklaces, finger rings, and silver ring brooches. Silver hair tubes and bells are nice for more "dress-up" occasions. Don't go too far overboard, unless you're going out "on the town" - too much jewelry can get in the way while you're working.

2. Paint - The most commonly documented colors are red and black, although others turn up at various times and places. Do your research! For red and black paint, use red ochre, vermilion powder, or charcoal mixed with bear grease or something similar. Paint may be applied in any manner that suits your fancy, from a full-body treatment to one or two patches. This is something best used for dress-up or warfare.

3. Neck knife - May have a quilled or undecorated sheath.

4. Sashes - The best choice is a fingerwoven sash, preferably using the oblique weave. Patterned sashes, such as those using chevrons, arrowheads, or lightning bolts are not often found until later in the 18th century; the Assomption sash pattern is an example of one which does not appear to be common until the 19th century.

1. Pack baskets - Unfortunately, the documentation we have available at the moment indicates that in the northeast during the 18th century, splint pack baskets were not in use. A large twined bag may be used, but splint basketry does not seem to have been widespread until later.

2. Inkle-loom woven sashes - This method of sash weaving was not common in the period.

3. Regimental coats - To date, no information is available that indicates regimentals were issued to native troops. There are a few records available documenting natives wearing military regimental coats, but regimentals on natives are not common.

4. Body hair - There are many descriptions of natives plucking all hair from the body except for the scalplock. This was common to most groups in the northeast, and for an accurate impression you should not appear with an abundance of body hair. If you plan to strip for battle, please remember that bear grease and paint do not cover chest hair. If you cannot (or do not wish to) shave, you should wear a shirt.

SECTION II

1. Breechclout - Just a rectangle of wool. Cut it long enough to reach mid-thigh to mid-thigh, and narrow enough that it doesn't bunch up too much or chafe. A good starting point might be about 12 - 15 inches wide by about 60 inches long. If you like, decorate the bottom edge with two or several strips of tape or ribbon. Ribbon or tape may also be used to cover the raw edges at the sides. You'll also need a waist tie to hold it up - wool tape or other fabric is best. A leather thong may also be used, but the clout will tend to slip out from underneath it.

2. Leggings - One way to construct these is to cut two rectangles the length of your ankle to the middle of your thigh and wide enough to go around your thigh with enough extra for the flap allowance. Pin it around your leg and mark where your leg is inside the rectangle. That'll be the stitching line. Unpin it, measure and mark the flap dimensions, pin it on again to check that you got it right, then cut. Add any decorative elements before stitching the side seam; then add the support strap. Like the breechclout, leggings do not absolutely need to be decorated.
   One style of legging support has a single suspension strap stitched onto the legging just to the inside (legging side, not flap side) of the stitching line for the flap. The side with the tie is worn towards the front. Another style of strap is the "Y" strap - the suspension strip on the side front of the legging splits into a Y shape, with one branch of the Y attached to the front and one to the back. The Y shape keeps the legging in place better than a single strap, and seems to be a typical Iroquois rendition.

3. Leg ties - If you want fingerwoven ties, you can learn to make them yourself or ask someone else about making them for you. Good resources for learning fingerweaving are Alta Turner's book Fingerweaving: Indian Braiding which is carried by many of the sutlers, Fingerweaving Basics by Gerald Findley which is available from Crazy Crow, and the Book of Buckskinning: Volume VI which has a good article on fingerweaving, including instructions for the oblique weave. A warning about the Buckskinning article - the directions are very hard to follow unless you already know something about what you're doing and how you want it to come out.

4. Center seam moccasins - a basic pattern for construction may be found here.

5. Shirt - Good patterns to use are the ones from Kannik's Korner (watch out; their patterns run small) or J.P. Ryan. Alternatively, check the sutlers for white linen shirts. Make sure your shirt is at least mid-thigh length and that it's linen and not some horrible abomination like cotton-poly blend. Your primary shirt should be white. If you want a print as a secondary or dress-up shirt, look for a block print. Do your research before you buy ANY prints! And remember - white linen should be your first choice.

6. Matchcoat - Get a piece of thicker wool: white, darkish royal blue, red are best. Duffel and half-thick are two of the wools frequently mentioned in connection with blankets and matchcoats. Stroud is nice if you can get it; one source for stroud is Crazy Crow. The matchcoat should measure roughly 2 yards by 1 - 1.5 yards. Matchcoats can be decorated with rows of silk ribbon, but like breechclouts and leggings, they don't need to be.

7. Ribbon and worsted tape - available at The Wooded Hamlet.

8. Jewelry - Beads and necklaces can be purchased from several sutlers.

9. Shoes - available at many sutlers.