Native American fashion

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Quilled vest
Ribbonwork by Ardina Moore
Ojibwe beaded velvet shirt, Wisconsin

Native American fashion is the

fashion accessories by Native Americans in the United States. This is a part of a larger movement of Indigenous fashion of the Americas
.

Indigenous designers frequently incorporate motifs and customary materials into their wearable artworks, providing a basis for creating items for the haute couture and international fashion markets. Their designs may result from techniques such as beadwork, quillwork, leather, and textile arts, such as weaving, twining, and tufting. In some cases, however, they choose not to include any materials associated with Indigenous cultures.

In the United States, under the

state-recognized tribe, or be certified as a designated tribal artisan by the tribal council.[1]

When Native American designers first broke into the modern fashion industry in the 1940s and 1950s, many adopted a

pan-Indian approach. By selecting motifs and iconography easily identified as part of Indigenous culture, they were able to gain acceptance and develop a market share
with mainstream buyers. As the field of Native designers in high fashion expanded, individual designers moved away from pan-Indianism, expressing their individual identity, whether or not it was based on their specific tribal heritage. Many have taken Indigenous themes and incorporated them into their works, while others have taken specific garments and updated them to contemporary aesthetics by changing necklines, sleeve lengths, hemlines, and other features.

Controversy has emerged over the misappropriation or inappropriate use of cultural heritage by non-Native designers. Respectful use of imagery by mainstream designers who are not Indigenous can help expand appreciation of Native cultures, but plagiarism of design or malapropos use reinforces negative stereotypes and spurs controversy. Similarly, utilizing artisan craftwork can expand awareness if designers are fairly compensated for their work and given credit for their contributions. Contemporary controversies have spurred both crowd-sourced and legislative action to protect the designs and cultural heritage of Indigenous designers.

History

Historical clothing of Native American peoples has been collected and displayed by curators of major museums with a focus on pre-20th century attire. For the most part, these collections failed to take into consideration the shift in clothing trends among Indigenous peoples brought about by assimilation policies or by access to tailoring training and industrially produced textiles.[2] However, Indigenous-focused museums have featured exhibitions of contemporary Native fashion. For example, the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City's 2017 "Native Fashion Now" exhibit featured Project Runway finalist Patricia Michaels[3] and The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe held exhibits as early as 2007 on Native couture and Institute of American Indian Arts founder Lloyd Kiva New.[4]

While Native peoples have always produced clothing, until the 20th century the garments they made were often for personal, familial, or ceremonial use.[5] However, forced assimilation policies throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries focused on eradicating Native American culture, including religious observance, language, and other traditional practices.[6] Later, policies such as the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act changed the strategy for the education of Native peoples, encouraging them instead to reconnect with their cultures, including the creation of traditional dress.[7]

In 1942, the American

Frederic H. Douglas, sought to highlight the beauty of Native American fashion by presenting a fashion show featuring garments made by Native Americans between 1830 and 1950.[8] During the same decade, Lloyd Kiva New, a Cherokee who had graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago began touring throughout Europe and the United States with clothing and accessory lines he had designed, using hand-woven and dyed fabrics and leather crafts. In 1945, New opened a studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, with financial backing from Douglas,[9] which initially focused on belts, hats and purses. Influenced by Navajo medicine bags, his purses, decorated with hand-worked metals became a specialty.[10] Recognizing the need to reduce labor costs, he began combining machine work with handcrafting and instituted an apprenticeship program to meet increasing production demands while gearing his designs for the up-scale market.[11]

Gaining coverage from national magazines like

Pima basket weaving designs, Hopi pottery patterns, Navajo and Zuni yei elements, drawing from a variety of tribal aesthetics. As with designers who followed him, his sacred symbols and iconography were modified to become secularized.[17]

To encourage other Indigenous artists to enter fashion design and safeguard cultural traditions which he feared might be lost,

ribbonwork and weaving to create garments.[23] By 1965, IAIA was hosting local fashion shows. Within three years, the students had begun showing their works in other venues in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and New York.[24] Within ten years, the reputation of the textile design programs at the school had gained international acclaim.[25]

During the 1970s, Native American designers began to make a name for themselves during the

Civil Rights Movement, countercultural consumers found appeal in Gilham and Jacobsen's work. Furthermore, their fashion fostered a pan-Indian unity in the quest for political power through self-expression.[30]

1975 to 1990

When Josephine Wapp retired in 1975,

mylar, a space-age material to create designs which reflected the Osage connection with the sky.[40]

The fashion show of the

Santa Clara Pueblo), who majored in fashion design and creative writing, before turning to writing about fashion.[44]

In 1981,

Isleta Pueblo) opened a design studio known for coats and vests incorporating cotton, wool, and velvet, and Ardina Moore (Quapaw/Osage) founded Buffalo Sun in Oklahoma in 1983.[50] Geraldine Sherman (Lakota) designed for non-native marketer and anthropologist Helene Hagan to produce garments featuring Native American iconography. Hagan marketed them, stressing their spiritual and symbolic meaning.[50][51]

Jeri Ah-be-hill at the Santa Fe Indian Market 2014. Demonstration of the difference in dance regalia and experimental fashion.

Healthcare professional and fashion designer,

Salish) designed high-end couture for working women and displayed her fashions featuring appliqué techniques at conferences. Shed ran a mail order business, allowing customers to provide her with their preferred materials which she then worked into her designs.[52] In 1984, Selina Curley (Apache-Navajo) founded a design firm, Traditions by Selina, aimed at preserving the traditions of her heritage. Her typical designs are based on the Apache camp dress with a full, ankle-length skirt and long sleeves.[53][54]

The

broomstick skirts.[57]

The

trademarked, but one exception is the name "Navajo", which was legally trademarked in 1943.[5]

1991–2010

The 1990s saw a split in the Native American fashion design styles, with one group pursuing simple silhouettes with defined, smooth transitions between fabric lines, while the other group focused on

Cochiti Pueblo) and Grant were the first Native American fashion designers to exhibit at an event in Manhattan. They held a show together at the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week in 2009,[64] though Ortiz's work generally is known as more cutting-edge and noted for incorporating colors, shapes, and symbols from pottery in his fashion design.[62] Angela DeMontigny (Chippewa-Cree/Métis) of southwestern Ontario, a Canadian First Nation designer, also followed the classic traditional lines, with edgy elements based initially on leather and suede garments before branching into jewelry and accessories.[65][66]

Other Native American designers from the early 1990s included the master weaver Margaret Roach Wheeler (Chickasaw/Choctaw), who earned a master's degree in art at Pittsburg State University in Kansas, under the tutelage of Marjorie Schick;[45][67] Aresta LaRusso founded Deerwater Design in Flagstaff in 1994 featuring items made of silk or wool fabrics and deer or elk skin. To update her contemporary patterning, she used zebra and impala hide, decorated with beadwork, fringe, and silver.[68][69]

Wendy Ponca, one of the leaders of the avant-garde group, left IAIA in 1993. After she was replaced by

Grammy Fest party.[59][74]
Tazbah Gaussoin (
Picuris Pueblo/Navajo), Consuelo Pascual (Navajo/Maya), and Rose Bean Simpson (Santa Clara Pueblo) were other Ponca students who began making a name in fashion circles in the 1990s.[75]

In 2005, the IAIA with support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, sponsored Tribal Fusions, as a cross-cultural fashion endeavor, uniting designers from Africa with Marcus Amerman, Dorothy Grant, Patricia Michaels, and Virginia Yazzie Ballenger for the annual fashion show at the Santa Fe Indian Market. It was a unique opportunity for designers from diverse Indigenous populations to share designs and methods of economic empowerment.[76] In 2009, Jessica Metcalfe (Chippewa), a scholar who earned her doctorate from the University of Arizona, created a fashion blog called "Beyond Buckskin".[77] Metcalfe used the blog to promote Native American designers, to talk about how they fit into popular culture and also to hold companies accountable when they attempted to appropriate Native culture.[78] The following year, Patricia Michaels formed UNRESERVED Alliance, in an attempt to ensure that Native American fashion designers were represented at New York Fashion Week.[79] Similarly to Native Uprising founded two decades previously, the collective of designers aimed through collaboration to improve inclusion of Indigenous artists.[80]

2011 and beyond

Santa Fe Indian Market Fashion show 2014

As Native American designers recognized that marketing to Indigenous peoples alone limited their business sustainability, they increasingly created clothing that is derived from their cultural heritage but has been adapted to appeal to a larger aesthetic. Early designers tended to approach fashion from a pan-Indian perspective, but contemporary Indigenous designers often "stay within the realm of their own traditional tribal or regional clothing techniques".

Crow) created a compilation of fashion called Beyond Buckskin Lookbook which she says is the "first compilation of modern Native fashion produced exclusively by Natives".[78][82] In 2014, Loren Aragon (Acoma Pueblo) and Valentina Aragon (Diné) founded the ACONAV couture brand known for its asymetrical designsthat blend cultural ideas with modern silhouettes.[83] Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo) creates futuristic fashion designs that reference the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 blended with science fiction narratives about fighters for freedom based in the year 2180.[84]

In 2016, a survey exhibition, "Native Fashion Now," curated by Karen Kramer at the

Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Manhattan. The exhibition and its catalog spotlighted on contemporary Native American fashion. Featuring designs from 75 fashion designers from throughout Canada and the United States, the exhibit presented a range of styles and designs from diverse cultures, such as Alano Edzerza (Tahltan Nation), Maya Stewart (Chickasaw/Muscogee/Choctaw) and Bethany Yellowtail (Northern Cheyenne/Crow), among others.[5][85] Becki Bitternose (George Gordon), who designs jackets and coats from Pendleton blankets, was featured at the 2016 New York Fashion Week.[86]

Contemporary Native American Fashion Show at the 2015 Santa Fe Indian Market.
Contemporary Native American Fashion Show at the 2015 Santa Fe Indian Market
.

Controversy

The woman on the left is wearing a "Squaw Dress."
The woman on the left is wearing a "Squaw Dress."

Non-Native companies and individuals have attempted to use Native American motifs and names in their clothing designs.[87] As early as the 1940s, Anglo designers in the United States had developed a type of one and two-piece dresses called "squaw dresses."[88] These outfits were based on Mexican and Navajo skirts and Western Apache camp dresses.[89] The dresses, also known as Fiesta, Kachina, Tohono or Patio Dresses "represented both idealized femininity and Americanness because of their Native American origins."[89] These dresses, knowingly appropriating Indigenous styles, were considered a "fashion sensation" of the time, according to the Arizona Daily Star.[90] The Navajo style that influenced the creation of Squaw Dresses was itself an adaptation of European styles by Navajo women.[91] The bodice of a Squaw Dress drew from Western Apache and Tohono O'odham styles.[92] Squaw dresses were popular in the United States for around 20 years.[93] The original "designer" of the Squaw Dress was Dolores Gonzales of Tucson, Arizona.[93] Gonzales herself said of her dresses, "I didn't design them; I lifted them. The Indian women were already wearing them."[94] Other people involved in promoting and working on the designs included the designers Cele Peterson and George Fine.[93]

Urban Outfitters created a collection in 2011 called "Navajo," featuring underwear, hats and other items with art based on traditional Navajo rugs. The Navajo Nation responded by issuing a cease and desist on their use of the word "Navajo".[87] Pop band No Doubt released a 2012 video featuring stereotypical images of the American frontier and ended up pulling the video and issuing an apology.[95][96] Victoria's Secret clothed a model in a "Native-inspired" bikini and giant war headdress at their fashion show that same year.[97] Victoria's Secret was again accused of cultural appropriation in their 2017 fashion show, which featured outfits inspired by traditional Native fashion.[98]

Another issue in regard to Native American fashion is the stereotypical representation of Indigenous peoples' clothing in mass media depictions.[99] Native Americans are portrayed most often in historical contexts wearing traditional clothing.[99]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ "The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990". Indian Arts and Crafts Board. U.S. Department of the Interior. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  2. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 66–67.
  3. ^ "Native Fashion Now". National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  4. ^ "Past Exhibitions". Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  5. ^ a b c d Lieber 2016.
  6. ^ Mason, Patrick L., ed. (2013). "Sovereignty and American Indian Communities". Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Macmillan Reference USA. pp. 93–96.
  7. ^ Collins, Cary C. (Fall 2003). "Art Crafted in the Red Man's Image". New Mexico Historical Review. 78 (4): 439–470.
  8. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 66–68.
  9. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 69.
  10. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 80–81.
  11. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 82.
  12. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 84.
  13. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 85-86.
  14. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 87.
  15. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 89.
  16. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 91.
  17. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 37, 96–97.
  18. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 102.
  19. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 108, 113.
  20. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 132–133.
  21. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 133.
  22. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 136.
  23. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 155–156.
  24. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 139–140.
  25. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 147.
  26. ^ a b Metcalfe 2010, p. 199.
  27. ^ The Missoulian 1973, p. 5.
  28. ^ The Daily Inter Lake 1977, p. 14.
  29. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 214.
  30. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 216.
  31. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 151.
  32. ^ Brown 2016.
  33. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 152.
  34. ^ a b Metcalfe 2012b, p. 86.
  35. ^ a b Metcalfe 2010, p. 159.
  36. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 161–162.
  37. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 160.
  38. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 160-161.
  39. ^ a b c Metcalfe 2010, p. 165.
  40. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 169.
  41. ^ Haywood 2015.
  42. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 177–179.
  43. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 180, 258.
  44. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 163.
  45. ^ a b c Metcalfe 2013, p. Z042.
  46. ^ Schmitt 2016, pp. 126–128.
  47. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 217.
  48. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 218.
  49. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 228–229.
  50. ^ a b Metcalfe 2010, p. 228.
  51. ^ Leighty 1986.
  52. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 233.
  53. ^ Silversmith 2013.
  54. ^ Walker 2013.
  55. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 230.
  56. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 231–232.
  57. ^ Baca 1999, pp. 52–53.
  58. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 16.
  59. ^ a b c d Metcalfe 2010, p. 242.
  60. ^ Phinney 2005.
  61. ^ Deerchild 2016.
  62. ^ a b Metcalfe 2013, p. Z043.
  63. ^ López 2007, p. Z074.
  64. ^ Metcalfe 2012b, p. 84.
  65. ^ Falcon 2009.
  66. ^ West of the City Magazine 2016.
  67. ^ Monks 2016, pp. 72–73.
  68. ^ Reid 1999, pp. 31, 35.
  69. ^ The Arizona Republic 2002, p. 78.
  70. ^ Metcalfe 2010, pp. 188, 242.
  71. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 190.
  72. ^ Avila 2015.
  73. ^ Livingston 2013.
  74. ^ Begley 2003.
  75. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 246.
  76. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 258.
  77. ^ a b Ross 2017.
  78. ^ a b Grinberg 2013.
  79. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 263.
  80. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 339.
  81. ^ Metcalfe 2010, p. 354.
  82. ^ Paniogue, Tara. "Meet Bethany Yellowtail, a Native American fashion designer who's inspiring a whole generation of women". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  83. ^ Tupica, Rich (May 2020). "Loren Aragon of ACONAV goes from Geek to Chic". Native News Online. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  84. ^ Flathman, John. "Science Fiction Meets the 1680 Pueblo Revolt in Virgil Ortiz's History Colorado Exhibition". Westworld. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  85. ^ Lefevre 2016, p. 20.
  86. ^ Latimer 2016.
  87. ^ a b Gilger 2011.
  88. ^ Parezo & Jones 2009, p. 374-375.
  89. ^ a b Parezo & Jones 2009, p. 375.
  90. ^ Roth, Bernie (1954-10-17). "Even Ike's Mamie Wears Squaw Dresses From Dolores' Shop". Arizona Daily Star. p. 20. Retrieved 2018-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  91. ^ Parezo & Jones 2009, p. 384.
  92. ^ Parezo & Jones 2009, p. 385.
  93. ^ a b c Driver, Maggie (21 April 2016). "The squaw dress: Tucson's controversial but unique fashion history". Arizona Sonora News. Archived from the original on 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  94. ^ Henry, Bonnie (1995-02-23). "Dior of the Desert". Arizona Daily Star. p. 29. Retrieved 2018-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  95. ^ Grinberg 2014.
  96. ^ Sinha-Roy 2012.
  97. ^ Bhasin 2015.
  98. ^ Matera 2017.
  99. ^ a b Leavitt et al. 2015, p. 40.

Bibliography

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Native_American_fashion&oldid=1218785100"