Collection: Directories and Documents > Tanis Thorne Native Californian & Nisenan Collection

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Title: Dressing the Part [Stereotypic Native Clothing] Collection Type: Directories and Documents Collection Name: Tanis Thorne Native Californian & Nisenan Collection # of Pages: 12 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-09-03 14:27:20 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:17:15 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 03:17:15

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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& i : Ree SR ete Sea ie ag bi STEREOTYPICAL INDIAN CLOTHING 51 1883, described her as wearing “... dressed deerskin, buff colored and heavily fringed with beads, reaching a little below her knees, and displaying her legs encased in red leather leggings and a pair of moccasins trimmed to match her dress. Pendant at her side was a handsomely embroidered pouch” (Heizer 1960:3). Apparently, Sarah created a memorable image, no doubt effective in her campaign. By the turn of the century Americans at large had developed a romantic picture of the Great American West. Promoted by such notables as George Wharton James and Charles Lummis, as well as others, people longed to visit the home of the “Noble Red Man.” America’s jump into the automobile age made this within reach for many. By the 1920s the completion of major highways throughout the west brought scores of people to California. There they visited Hollywood, and such natural wonders as Yosemite Valley. With this great influx of tourists, the development of pageants flourished, inducing more and more people to visit the “Sunshine State.” Of course, “Indians” were an indispensable part of such romantic presentations, The promoters of such events realized that the California Indians did not fit the stereotyped image, in their minds, of what Indians should look like. What were the native Californians to do? Many decided that, since the Anglos seemed neither to know or care about what was worn in old times, they would create clothing and dances to suit them. Often working with non-[ndian promoters, they set about making an “acceptable” Indian image for the public. Typical of such pageants was the “Indian Field Days” held in Yosemite Valley in the summer of 1916 and a number of other years until 1929 (Figs. 1-3). A mixture of rodeo and fair, it included such events as horse racing, the best beadwork, and ‘‘best Indian costume.” In the late 1920s, the National Fig. 2. Chris Brown, “Chief Lemee,” with friend at Indian Field Days, Yosemite Valley, 1929. Note Sioux vest, Plains moccasins, and Chimayo or Mexican weaving for clout, Negative number 2138, courtesy National Park Service, Yosemite Collections. Park Service and the Yosemite Park and Curry Company erected pseudo-Indian “wigwams” of pine poles and canvas, while encouraging local native Californians to “dress up” for the event. New clothing styles flourished, some women created unique dresses, others obtained Sioux beadwork, and some integrated articles of Miwok ceremonial. regalia with these. This blending resulted in an unmistakable “‘Indian”’ atmosphere. At the same time, Indian people of California were beginning to unify politically, and often donned “Indian clothes” to help hh tf t ‘ . Ly uh