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The French and the native people were the primary players in the fur trade at Michilimackinac. The French were the hivernants and voyageurs that transported furs and goods, while the natives harvested the furs. Because of these trade relations, it was common for French men to intermarry with the native tribes, creating a mixture of cultures. Children of these marriages were called Metis. This mixed race could draw from two cultures in its dress and customs, so elements of European and native culture are represented in this outfit.
The woven fabrics, linen and wool, would have been trade items brought by the Europeans, as would the glass beads and trade silver embellishments. The leggings and moccasins are made of leather and the garters that hold the leggings up are fingerwoven, all more traditional native items. The chemise is a heavy linen, tightly woven but fairly fine, in an off-white color. Traditional European chemises were white, lighter-weight linen, but Metis and native women would have had the option to use white or colored fabrics. The drawstring neckline is quite wide; the drawstring is run through a casing made of bias tape. The pattern is similar to that found in Sharon Ann Burnston's Fitting and Proper, on pages 44-46. That particular chemise is dated 1790-1810 because of its short sleeves, but the construction is the same as earlier period chemises. The skirt is maroon wool flannel with a hand-beaded edge of white seed beads. The edging is a copy of that on a wrap skirt owned by the parks; I believe it was made by a previous interpreter, an expert on native and Metis clothing. The beads are close in size and type to those that the on-site archaeologists find in their excavations and examples are on display in the Treasures from the Sand archaeological exhibit. There was no pattern for the skirt; two yards (72") of 60"-wide material is folded in half the long way and wrapped around the waist. The leggings are costume stock from Michilimackinac; I believe them to be of doeskin. The moccasins are from a pattern that one of my fellow interpreters traced off my own feet and are made of moose hide from the Two Bears Trading Company. The yarn for the sock garters was purchased at a local yarn shop, but the colors are close to several examples that were hand-dyed with natural dies on-site. |
The skirt, when folded, is 72" wide and approximately 30" long, so the size is very adjustable. It can be worn higher or lower on the waist or hips to allow for a variety of heights and the overlap simply changes with the size of the wearer. The chemise is also adjustable to a certain extent; the neckline can be pulled in or let out on the drawstring and the body can be cinched in with a sash if necessary.
Unlike the European woman of the time, a native or Metis woman would not have been required to wear a cap or hat. Our model is bareheaded and her hair is loose, something that a European woman would never have done in public. Interpreters portraying the Metis culture are allowed to wear their hair in a variety of ways. Clubbing the hair at the nape of the neck would have been common, but doing so makes it difficult to change into a different costume for the various reenactments during the day.
The moccasins are the center-seam type typical of the area, hand-sewn with faux sinew. In order to create the slight pucker over the top of the foot, the seam is sewn inside-out with a running stitch and gathered up slightly. When the seam is turned to the inside, the leather puckers. Also, the smooth side of the leather is worn toward the foot, with the sueded side on the outside. Moccasins could also be lined with wool, have edge beading on the flaps, and be decorated with tinkling cones; this pair is rather simple.
The sock garters are an example of chevron-pattern fingerweaving. These were woven on-site as a demonstration and completed over the course of several weeks. They're twenty-four strands wide, woven from the middle to give the v-shaped repeat. The colors mimic those achieved by natural dyes at the fort; dyes like indigo, madder, cochineal, logwood, and brazilwood could have been imported via the fur trade.
A common category of goods called "trade silver," includes items like rings, pendants, brooches, armbands, and various other decorative pieces. The ring brooches are reproductions from Heavy Metal Traders. The turtle pendant is a gift from a fellow interpreter, who purchased it from the parks. It looks similar to one on the Dixie Gun Works website, though the maker's mark is illegible. The beads of the necklace are reproduction wampum from The Wandering Bull, Inc.
Also, barely visible in the first picture is the fact that the wool flannel of the skirt is actually a twill weave. The twilled side is folded to the inside because the smooth finish of the "wrong" side of the fabric is more period correct. The edges of the skirt are serged in matching thread, but the stitches from the beading do a fairly good job of disguising the serging stitches, even from close up. From far away, the serging disappears against the fabric.
