Native American Unit Home - Regalia
The
tribe that I have chosen to design my regalia is the Cree Tribe. The Cree Tribe
is one of the largest American Indian groups in North America. My godmother
Jan Greiner had a grandmother who was a Cree Indian in upper New York, which
is how I arrived at my decision.
Since I am a girl I will talk more about girls instead of boys. Both men and women wore moccasins. As you may know, moccasins were shoes to keep their feet warm. They even put grass in the moccasins in the winter to keep their feet extra warm.
The only home they lived in was a tipi. The tipi was made out of natural resources. The natural resources were: bison hide & wood. There was a fire lit by the women in the center of the tipi and there was a smoke hole at the top of the tipi.
All
men and women wore bison robes, which was used in each season. Some bison robes
had arrows painted on them like my poncho.
All women stayed at home and cooked, gathered, and worked. All men went out to hunt some bison, the men used traps sometimes, while others the took their bow and arrow and hunted. They also went fishing if there was a pond near by.
Cree women wore long dresses. They were made out of buffalo hide and different leathers. We used a fabric that looks like leather but is not as thick or as expensive. Both women and men wore their hair in two long braids. The Crees also wore face paint for special occasions.
Beds were made out of dry grass. Spoons were made from horns of bison. Par fleche (animal skin) was a type of bag used for storing food. Mittens were made out of fur.
Spears were used in battle only. They were never thrown. They were usually topped with bone or horns.
The Cree Indians wore earrings. They were punched out of something called mussel shells.
That was my report on The Cree Indian Regalia!!!
Bibliography
Green, Rayna. Women in American Indian Society. N.Y.C., Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publisher 1992.
Greiner, Jan. Personal interview. 12 Oct. 2006.
Lewis, Orrin, Redish, Laura. Cree Indian Fact Sheet. Native Languages of the Americas. 2006. 11 Sept. 2006. <http://www.geocities.com/bigorrin/cree_kids.htm>
Riehecky, Janet. The Cree Tribe. Mankato: Bridgestone Books of Capstone Press, 2003.
Mandelbaum, David G. The Plains Cree: An Ethnographic, Historical and Comparative Study. Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina, 1979. 10 Oct. 2006. <http://www.schoolnet.ca/aboriginal/Plains_Cree>.
Stotter, Michael. North American Indians.
N.Y.C.: Anness Publishing, Inc. 1999.