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Ribbon work is an appliqué technique for clothing and dance regalia among Prairie and Great Lakes Native American tribes. Deb Haaland wore a ribbon skirt made by Agnes Woodward for her 2021 swearing in ceremony as US
The ribbons are layered on top of each other with pieces cut out to create optically active designs from both positive and negative space. The ribbons' edges are sewn with needles and cotton threadPenney, David W. ''Native Arts of North America.'' Paris: Terrail, 1998: 62-3. . – later, with nylon thread. Designs and colors may be significant to particular clans within the tribes. Specific patterns are passed from mother to daughters within families. Design elements can include floral designs, diamonds, stepped diamonds, crescents, hearts, circles, and double-curves.
Today ribbon work can be seen on dance regalia at tribal ceremonies and
Ribbon work tutorial on Powwows.com
{{Textile arts Great Lakes tribal culture Indigenous culture of the Great Plains Indigenous culture of the Northeastern Woodlands Native American clothing Indigenous textile art of the Americas
Ribbon work is an appliqué technique for clothing and dance regalia among Prairie and Great Lakes Native American tribes. Deb Haaland wore a ribbon skirt made by Agnes Woodward for her 2021 swearing in ceremony as US Interior Secretary
The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natu ...
.
History
Silkribbon
A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mater ...
s, brought to North America by European traders, inspired a new, uniquely Native American art form. Mi'kmaq people created ribbon appliqué as early as 1611. In 1789 the regime of the French Revolution decreed that clothing should be plain, so silk ribbons fell out of fashion in France and were exported to North America. Those tribes who traded furs with the French are most known for their ribbon work, such as the Kickapoo
Kickapoo may refer to:
People
* Kickapoo people, a Native American nation
** Kickapoo language, spoken by that people
** Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas, a federally recognized tribe of Kickapoo people
** Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, a federally recog ...
, Mesquakie, Miami, Odawa
The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...
, Ojibwa
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
, Osage The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage".
Osage can also refer to:
* Osage language, a Dhaegin language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation
* Osage (Unicode b ...
, Otoe-Missouria, Potawatomi
The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...
, and Quapaw, but the practice has spread to many other tribes. Initially, layers of ribbons were sewn on the edges of cloth, replacing painted lines on hide clothing and blankets.Berlo, Janet C. and Ruth B. Phillips. ''Native North American Art''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998: 97-8. . By the close of the 18th century, Native seamstresses created much more intricate appliqué ribbon work designs.
Description
The ribbons are layered on top of each other with pieces cut out to create optically active designs from both positive and negative space. The ribbons' edges are sewn with needles and cotton threadPenney, David W. ''Native Arts of North America.'' Paris: Terrail, 1998: 62-3. . – later, with nylon thread. Designs and colors may be significant to particular clans within the tribes. Specific patterns are passed from mother to daughters within families. Design elements can include floral designs, diamonds, stepped diamonds, crescents, hearts, circles, and double-curves.
Today ribbon work can be seen on dance regalia at tribal ceremonies and powwow
A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today allow Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or pu ...
s. Ribbon work is applied to both men's and women's clothing and is incorporated into leggings, skirts, blankets, shawls, breechclouts, purses, shirts, vests, pillows, and other cloth items.
National Ribbon Skirt Day
In Canada under an Act of Parliament from 2023, the National Ribbon Skirt Day is held on 4 January. Its basis was when a student was told it was not 'formal wear' for school.See also
* Dush-toh, Caddo women's ribbon headdressReferences
External links
Ribbon work tutorial on Powwows.com
{{Textile arts Great Lakes tribal culture Indigenous culture of the Great Plains Indigenous culture of the Northeastern Woodlands Native American clothing Indigenous textile art of the Americas