This week we discussed the Wampanoag Indians which occupied the south-eastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island areas where they still reside today. We discussed everyday clothing and how the Wampanoag made their clothing out of the skins of moose, elk and deer. The principle piece of clothing for both men and women was a deerskin breechcloth, which was all the Wampanoag people wore at home in the summer months. The women also wore knee length deerskin skirts. In the winter, they would wear deerskin leggings to keep warm. You can read more about Wampanoag clothing and culture at http://www.bigorrin.org/wampanoa.kids.htm. The Wampanoag people today dress much like you and I, yet still wear moccasins on their feet. Click here for a link to the website.
The Wampanoags didn't wear long headdresses like other tribes. Their headband was decorated with beads and wampum with a feather or two in it. A chief may have worn a headdress with many feathers pointing straight up from the headband. The headdresses were often decorated with patterns and even told stories of the Wampanoag people. Today they wear a traditional headband yet reserve feathers for special occasions such as a dance.
As many of you may have noticed, we made Wampanoag headdresses out of cloth, designed a pattern and covered with beads and completed with feathers. Some did not finish and will do so next class.
