| The name, moccasin goes back to the early | | | | make a nice shoe. Hard-soled moccasins were |
| 1600s and came from a Virginia Algonquian Native | | | | very protective over ones feet as they would |
| American language. Moccasins are shoes that are | | | | normally be walking over rough terrain. The |
| made from soft leather; often deer hide and | | | | Apache tribe only had a two piece shoe. The |
| were the first shoes for Native Americans, | | | | soft-soled variety was made from just one piece |
| traders, and settlers. Moccasins very soft and are | | | | of leather. The shoe was made just to cover the |
| also a lot quieter then most of the shoes out | | | | foot easily. Soft-soled moccasins were popular |
| there today and they also have good traction so | | | | with the Plains tribes as well as the tribes of the |
| you won't slip. | | | | Pacific Northwest. |
| When the shoe was first made the different | | | | The soft-soled shoes that came from the |
| tribes would paint on the shoes depending on | | | | northwest were still a single piece of leather also |
| what they did. The most common things to put | | | | and just wrapped around the foot and were |
| on them were shells and beads. A lot of tribes | | | | sewed to meet the foot. There were a lot of |
| liked to wear these shoes. A tribe who wore | | | | different kinds of shoes but only a few really |
| these shoes could often be known by the | | | | worked. A lot of the northern tribes covered the |
| coloration on the footwear. All the Indians of | | | | foot so nothing cut penetrate it. It was only other |
| different tribes across North America liked | | | | eastern tribes that made the vamp a little bit |
| different types of shoes, some liked thin others | | | | smaller than what other tribes wore. |
| liked long and pointy and many liked to decorate | | | | The way the shoe stands out more than others |
| their moccasins with bright beads. | | | | is the way that it was made. These shoes were |
| The appearance of the shoe was different from | | | | made inside out and were made without a |
| tribe to tribe. For instance a lot of tribes had | | | | permanent form. The bottom seams were turned |
| certain types of moccasins that they would wear | | | | in toward the foot to prevent them from ripping. |
| on occasions. Shoes worn for hunting were just | | | | The seams are then trimmed then there a soft |
| very simple just a piece of leather across the top | | | | pieces of lamb's wool padding that line the shoe. |
| of the foot and around the heel. | | | | This is thought to be the first true shoe to be |
| The shoes fall into two different categories either | | | | worn in North America and even today moccasins |
| hard sole soft sole. Hard-sole were generally made | | | | are very popular with everyone due to their |
| up of three or four pieces of leather skin to | | | | extreme comfort. |