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Iroquois Clothing
1. Why is porcupine quill work becoming rare? It takes so long to do that many people do not have time to do it.
2. Why do the Haudenosaunee use glass beads instead of the porcupine quills? They come in more colors and require little preparation time.
3. Why did they wear moccasins? Wearing moccasins or boots would have been essential to keep feet from freezing. In warm weather and mild surroundings, protective footwear would be less important and people could easily go barefoot
4. Why did the Iroquois wear soft-soled moccasins? Soft-soled moccasins, often constructed from a single piece of leather were common in the Eastern Forests and were made by bringing up the sole of the shoe around the foot and puckering or patching the material around the instep. Soft-soled center seam and pucker-toe moccasins were well suited to travel through woodlands with leaf and pine-needle covered ground
5. How can you tell the difference between Plains moccasins and Woodland moccasins? Some soft-soled moccasins from the Plains and Northwest Coast were made from one piece but they were sewed along one the side of the foot rather than the center.
6. What did they use masks for? The men who wear these masks are believed to have the power to ward off sickness because of a Seneca legend. It is said that the Spirit of Sickness tried to infect a longhouse of people. Before he had the chance to do so, the giant (Great False Face) appeared and scared him away.
7. What were the different parts of the deer used for? Deer were the favored prey for many reasons. The hides were used for clothing, antlers and bones were used for tools, and the meat was eaten. The brains and guts were also salvaged for tanning hides and making bindings.
8. Why was it important that the Iroquois could run fast? The ability to run fast over great distances was important among the Iroquoian peoples, and remains a valued tradition today. Runners carrying messages of war or peace could traverse with remarkable speed the forest trails of what is now New York State and southwestern Ontario. Pride in this vital skill may explain why moccasins were among the most highly decorated articles of Iroquoian clothing.
9. What did clothing provide? Clothing provided both protection and decoration in the Iroquois culture.
10.What did the symbols on their clothing represent? Iroquois decorated their clothing with symbols representing their clan and important objects found in nature.