A dush-toh, also spelled dush-too, dush-tooh, or dush-tuh, is a customary Caddo hair ornament worn by girls and women during dances, particularly the Turkey Dance."Summer Youth Camp."
''Caddo Nation: Heritage and Culture''. (retrieved 3 Feb 2010) Neighboring tribes, such as the Kickapoo and Delaware, have similar women's hair ornaments. A dush-toh consists of an embellished, butterfly- or hourglass-shaped frame that is worn on the back of the head with ribbons that flow down the back, almost to the ground. They were made in the 19th and 20th centuries,Ellison 11 as well as into the present.

Frame

The top of the butterfly-shaped frame is typically 4.25 inches wide and the bottom is usually 4-5/8 inches wide. The frame is 7.5 inches tall. The frame can be covered in black felt and edged with colored ribbons on both sides. Further embellishments include white

seed bead Seed beads or rocailles are uniformly shaped, spheroidal beads ranging in size from under a millimeter to several millimeters. ''Seed bead'' is also a generic term for any small bead. Usually rounded in shape, seed beads are most commonly used fo ...

s sewn along the edges and silver studs placed according to the individual's preference. A silver band runs around the narrowest point of the frame, which is tied to the hair.Newkumet and Meredith, 42 A wooden hairpin can also be used to hold the dush-toh in place.

German silver Nickel silver, Maillechort, German silver, Argentan, new silver, nickel brass, albata, alpacca, is a copper alloy with nickel and often zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver does not contain the eleme ...

spots can be attached to the frame and beaded rosettes may be used to decorate the center of the frame.

Ribbons

The ribbons, usually of

watered silk Moire ( or ), less often moiré, is a textile with a wavy (watered) appearance produced mainly from silk, but also wool, cotton and rayon. The watered appearance is usually created by the finishing technique called calendering. Moire effects ar ...

, are attached to the bottom of the headpiece. Four layers of ribbons are typically sewn to one ribbon band, which is sewn to the felt on the frame. Ribbons can be solid colors or plaid. They run down the back to the hemline of the dancer's dress. Bells, or ''cai'-coo-tze'', can be sewn to the bottom for weight and a musical sound. Ribbons can be embellished with shell, mirrors,

medallions, or beadwork rosettes.

Classes

The Caddo Nation offers classes in making dush-tohs to Caddo youth during their annual summer camp.

Notes

References

* Ellison, Rosemary. ''Contemporary Southern Plains Indian Metalwork.'' Anadarko, OK: Oklahoma Indian Arts and Crafts Cooperative, 1976. Library of Congress Number 75-40659. * Newkumet, Vynola Beaver and Howard L. Meredith. ''Hasinai: A Traditional History of the Caddo People''. College Station: Texas A&M Press, 1988. .

External links

Image of Caddo women wearing dush-tohs
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
Dush-toh from 1900Dush-toh from 1880–1900
National Museum of the American Indian {{DEFAULTSORT:Dush-Toh Caddo Fashion accessories Headgear Native American clothing