| Early American Indian western wear consisted | | | | As tribes were forced into closer contact with |
| mainly of animal hides or leathers. The men wore | | | | each other, they began borrowing each others |
| leggings or a loin cloth, seldom accompanied by a | | | | style of dress, such as fringed buckskin clothing |
| shirt. The women wore leggings, a skirt, or a one | | | | and headdresses. Woven Indian blankets also |
| piece dress (depending on their tribe) made from | | | | became widely used. Beads, embroidery and |
| leather. | | | | other embellishments were added as decorations |
| Different tribes had different styles of dress, and | | | | to their clothing. |
| used paint as decorations and to also indicate their | | | | As cloth became widely available, western wear |
| tribe. Specialized ceremonial and war clothing also | | | | for Indians soon included cloth skirts, dresses and |
| varied by tribe. The weather had a great impact | | | | shirts. "Indian cloth" was fabric with white edges |
| on how much clothing was worn. | | | | remaining from the manufacturing process. The |
| In the winter, western wear consisted of warm | | | | Indians used the white edges as part of their |
| furs made into coverings for all parts of the body. | | | | decorations when making their clothing. |
| Moccasins were common footwear among all | | | | Adornments differed according to the tribe. The |
| tribes. The biggest difference between the tribes | | | | Crow used the eyeteeth of an elk, or imitation |
| was seen in their headdress and ceremonial | | | | teeth carved from bone. Since teeth remain long |
| clothing. | | | | after the animal decays, this symbolized longevity. |