Iroquois Clothing Then
glossary image
Glossary of Terms

The Iroquois, or as we prefer to call ourselves, the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), used materials for clothing found in our natural environment. Traditionally the Haudenosaunee used furs obtained from the woodland animals, hides of elk and deer, cornhusks , and they also wove plant and tree fibers to produce articles of clothing.

downloaded from Haudenosaunee Children’s Page Iroquois Indian Clothing on July 12, 2002

The Iroquois Indians used the pelts of animals for their clothing. In the winter, the men wore shirts, leggings , and moccasins made of buckskin. Buckskin is clothing made from the skins of animals, mainly deer. The women wore skirts they had woven from the wild grasses, covered with furs, with leggings underneath.. In the summer, the men wore a breechcloth, a short piece of buckskin that hung from the front to the back of the Indian. The women wore their grass dresses, and the children wore nothing at all.

downloaded from The First Americans: Grade 3 Indian Project on July 12, 2002

The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) used European cloth and adapted it to their own style. This man wore feathers in his hair, a ring in his nose and other jewlery, a cape , a sash around his waist, breechcloth, leggings and moccasins.

downloaded from First Americans: Dine, Muscogee, Tlingit, Lakota, Iroquois on July 12, 2002























GLOSSARY OF TERMS
cape-
a piece of clothing that has no sleeves and fits close around the neck; it hangs loosley over the shoulders



cornhusks-
the leaves that grow around and protect an ear of corn as it develops



elk-
a kind of deer



fibers-
threads or something that looks like threads



Huadenosaunee-
the name that the Iroquois people call themselves



hides-
the skins of animals



leggings-
a covering for the legs made of leather or cloth



moccasins-
soft leather shoes



pelts-
the skins of animals



sash-
        
a band worn around the waist or over the shoulder



traditionally-
the way things have been done for a long time



wove-
past tense of weave, which means to make cloth by interlacing strands or fibers





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