The inhabitants of the pre-Columbian north America did not achieved the level of civilization of those of the center-south and kept up any longer the customs of their Asian ancestors.
THE ESKIMOS It
is necessary that we distinguish the inlanders from the coast inhabitants; those
from the district of Mackenzie (Canada) tanned the hides with the smoking method.
They wore different boots for the winter and summer seasons
sewed with sinews made from caribou's back; those for winter had the soles made from the skin from the frontlets of caribou with
the coat turned outwards so as to offer a sure grip on the snow and ice, while for the upper they made use of the skin of male's neck bordered
with fur; the summer boots which had to be waterproof, were sewn with stitches
so dense that they were almost
indistinguishable with the naked eye!
They also made hare-skin or buckskin slippers.
The coastal Eskimos made use of sealskin for boot soles.
THE AMERICAN INDIANS They,
above all, practiced a tanning using animal fat ( especially brain) sometimes mixed with powdered basswood bark and repeatedly rubbed on the hides
to be treated
and the women used to chew them for a long time to make them softer.
Their typical shoe was the moccasin, a name taken from the Algonquian term "Makisin"; used by both sexes, it was
made from a single piece of buckskin with the coat turned inwards, without a sole and with a
longitudinal seam on the upper from the toe to the opening and made with bone
needles or thorns.
Sometimes it was also made with two pieces of skin
joined by a strip of the same material passing through holes made on two edges of the seam that was also used for fastening them to the ankle (see
picture n.° 41) and often decorated with
porcupine spears, glass beads and fur appliqué.
The porcupine spears were dyed various colors and, sewn
together side by side, reproduced depictions of buffalo head bear claws or simple ornamental motifs.
During the cold season the men wore them together
with deer hide leggings and with an added sole.
The Indians of the warmer
regions of the south-west also wore interlaced vegetable fiber sandals.
The Algonquians wore winter boots made from moose houghs.
in order to know something else about native peoples of north America....
41
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