pair of moccasins

Nora Thompson Dean, artist

Cultural affiliations: Delaware

1907–1984

pair of moccasins, late 1800s–1981

Where object was made: Northeastern United States

Material/technique: beading; buckskin; cloth

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Length (Height x Width x Length): a 7 x 11 x 25.5 cm
Object Length/Width/Depth (Length x Width x Depth): 4 5/16 x 2 3/4 x 10 1/16 in
Object Height/Width/Length (Height x Width x Length): b 6.5 x 12 x 26.5 cm
Object Length/Width/Depth (Length x Width x Depth): 4 3/4 x 2 9/16 x 10 7/16 in

Credit line: Gift of Forrest E. Jones

Accession number: 2007.3744.a,b

Not on display

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Native Fashion

These shoes demonstrate how styles are influenced by cross-cultural exchange. The glass seed beads and satin ribbon brought by European traders were added to natural materials like shells, stones, bones, and porcupine quills that Indigenous communities used. While natural materials come in a variety of colors and could be dyed with natural dyes, the range of colors in these new materials allowed Natives to further develop beaded designs and appliqué patterns. The two pairs of moccasins are indicative of many woodlands cultures. One pair has a heel and shows how Natives began to adapt to Euro-centric fashion while maintaining their identity.

Exhibition Label:
"Vanished Voices: The Legacy of Northeast Kansas Indians," Jul-2004, Joni Murphy, Andrea S. Norris
Through exchanges with the other Indian nations in Kansas, Delaware and Shawnee beadwork designs were influential on those of the Prairie. Delaware artists brought the floral and curved patterns often seen in the work of Indians who lived in Kansas. These moccasins cold also be Wyandotte.