A matchcoat or match coat is an outer garment consisting of a length of coarse

woolen Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...

cloth (stroud), usually about long, worn wrapped around the upper part of the body like a

toga The toga (, ), a distinctive garment of ancient Rome, was a roughly semicircular cloth, between in length, draped over the shoulders and around the body. It was usually woven from white wool, and was worn over a tunic. In Roman historical tr ...

. Historically, they have been worn primarily by the

Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands include Native American tribes and First Nation bands residing in or originating from a cultural area encompassing the northeastern and Midwest United States and southeastern Canada. It is par ...

in North America, who may still wear them as

regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereig ...

or for traditional events. The matchcoat might be worn by people of either sex. It was a common article of trade by the English and French with the peoples of several Nations. The matchcoat was usually fastened with a belt; no buttons or pins were used. It could also serve as a blanket for sleeping. The name "matchcoat" is a transliteration into English of an Algonquian word referring to clothing in general.

History

The original version of the matchcoat was a

cloak A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, serving the same purpose as an overcoat, protecting the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. Cloaks have been and ...

of animal skin, often worn with the fur inside during colder weather. During the course of the 1600s this began to be replaced by woven fabric purchased from the European settlers. In 1644

Johannes Megapolensis Johannes Megapolensis (1603–1670) was a '' dominie'' (pastor) of the Dutch Reformed Church in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York state in the United States), beginning in 1642. Serving for several years at Fort Orange (pre ...

wrote During the late 1600s there was increasing use of ready-made clothing and a corresponding decline in use of matchcoats.

References

Native American clothing {{clothing-stub

History

See also

References