Traditional Dress

© St Luke's Stuio, Vermillion, Alberta

An evolving concern for the portraits is the dress. The Mohawk and other communities would have had trading contact with the French and Dutch since the early 1600s. Broadcloth of European origin quickly replaced the animal hides that had, up to that point, been used to create most components of dress. Scholars struggle to identify the nature of Iroquois clothing prior to the establishment of European trading relationships. St. Kateri lived during a time with trade with the Dutch and French was commonplace, so we can make a fairly accurate guess that she would have been dressed in garments tailored by her community from European fabric. Scholars disagree about the Haudenosaunee clothing prior to European contact.

Many portraits, including the above icon produced by the St. Luke Studio of Alberta, depict St. Kateri in what is known as a Trade Shirt. These garments, tailored in Europe, were often bartered with the Iroquois by French and Dutch traders. The Mohawk of St. Kateri's community would often embellish these garments with beadwork and dye.

I spent some time down at the NY State Museum this week with an Enthngorapher discussing Mohawk and Haudenosaunee dress in the late 17th century. It was a very exciting trip and I'll be publishing some new sketches next week. I was able to look through the Arthur Parker Photo Archive and examine a few rare books. Unfortunately many of the material artifacts in their collection are out on loan for the Auf Den Spuren Der Irokesen exhibition in Bonn. Very few copies of the English edition were printed... WorldCat only lists 7 in North American collections, none of which appear to be circulating...

... It took me a while, but I've finally found an english language copy of the catalog. Wondering if I should splurge and buy a copy?