Description
Costume of the Iroquois is a reprint of a classic and out of print work first published in pamphlet form by the Akwesasne Mohawk Counselor Organization. The illustrated book is a how-to guide for making Iroquois men's and women's clothing and accessories. It covers the Iroquois man's headdress (gustoweh), shirt, leggings, and breech cloth; the Iroquois woman's overdress, legging, and skirt; moccasins; yarn sash; silver brooches; belt; and pouch. Each outfit is accompanied by an illustration. The author includes information about the Iroquois water drum. To extend the information, the editor has added 8 annotated photographs, which show the transformation of Iroquois clothing from 1794 to the present. The illustrations show Joseph Brant as depicted in the William von Moll Berczy painting; Six Nations people greeting Prince Arthur at Mohawk Chapel (1869); Chief George Henry Martin Johnson; group of Kahnawake Mohawks (c.1875); Six Nations delegates at American Ethnological Society Congress (1956); and Montreal folk dance group (1968). This is a valuable reference guide for anyone interested in Iroquois clothing design. The original publication uses the unacceptable term Costume to refer to Iroquois regalia. This reprint from Iroqrafts keeps an historical publication accessible for today's readers.