Clothing

Mohawk men wore breechcloths and leggings, while Mohawk women wore wraparound skits and shorter leggings. Men didn’t originally wear shirts in Mohawk culture, but Mohawk women often wore poncho-like tunics called an overdress. Mohawks in general wore moccasins on their feet, and in colonial times, Mohawk Indians adapted European clothing like cloth shirts and blouses decorating them with beadwork and ribbon appliqué, making them unique. Mohawks didn’t wear long headdresses like the Sioux, and men wore traditional Iroquois headdresses that are feathered caps with a different insignia for each tribe. Mohawk headdress 3 eagle feathers on top, which made them unique from the other headdresses. Mohawk women sometimes wore special beaded tiaras, and they sometimes augmented the “Mohawk” hairstyle with splayed feathers or artificial roaches made of brightly dyed porcupine and deer hair. Mohawk women only cut their hair when they were in mourning -- otherwise they wore their hair long and loose, or plaited into a long braid, the most famous hairstyle for women. Mohawk men sometimes decorated their faces and bodies with tattoo art, but women generally didn’t paint or tattoo themselves. Today, some Mohawk people still wear moccasins or a beaded shirt, but they usually wear modern clothes (jeans) instead of breechcloths. They only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions (a dance). Bibliography:http://www.greatturtle.net/aboutus.html