A Story to Every Native American Costume

By Sarah Rosenblum

You’ve come to know and love Native American costumes from popular culture—Pocahontas from the beloved Disney Movie, Super-Chief from DC Comics, and Night Wolf from Mortal Kombat, just to name a few. But there’s more to these characters’ Costumes than just outer beauty, and you’ll enjoy wearing them even more when you know the thought and work that went into them.

What kind of gifts do you give to your family? Native American Clothing was often given as a gift to family members, which may not sound like a big deal until you learn that 40 hours of preparation and thousands of hours of decorating could go into a single outfit. After hunting and skinning an animal, the hide was scraped free of flesh, treated to prevent rotting, stretched, rubbed for softness, and smoked evenly for color. And it had to be done right, or people would notice.

What do your outfits and accessories say about you? Embellishments on Indian Costumes like beads, carved bone, porcupine quills, and teeth relayed important information about the wearer, such as marital status, rank, and tribe. In some tribes, eagle feathers were reserved for warriors or leaders. An elk has two eyeteeth, so a dress with hundreds showed that men in that family were successful hunters. Different tribes could be recognized by different colored beads. Tribes that worshiped the sun sometimes wore bright colors as a sign of respect, while those that worshiped the mountains wore more earth tones. To pay tribute, one tribe painted a triangle shape symbolizing the mountain home of the caribou lord on clothes worn when hunting caribou. And these are just a few examples.

Incredibly respectful of nature and animals, Native Americans didn’t waste any part of an animal they hunted. Parts that weren’t edible were often used for clothing, including claws, feathers, fur, hides, and teeth from bears, buffalo, deer, moose, rabbits, and snakes. 

Different regions had different animals and resources, as well as different climates and weather, so clothing varied across regions. Lots of fringe on a garment might signify a rainier climate, as fringe helped guide rain off of the clothing. Native Americans who wore outfits with fur layers and wraps probably weren’t from tribes anywhere near our Wondercostumes.com location in hot and humid Miami!

This Halloween or for any occasion, an Indian Costume is a fun choice—and they look great, too! But any Costume you wear can feel more special when you know a little about its history.