I
had posted a question a while back asking, "What is a Ribbon
Shirt?" Or, as some people who responded to my post, "What
is the origin of the Ribbon Shirt?" The main reason I asked
this question was because I was asked this very question and
when I stumbled for the "proper" response, two people gave
two different answers. That got me to thinking...I wonder
how many other versions and/or stories are out there concerning
this subject. What follows are the responses that were sent
to me.
I
am not going to post any names of the people who sent me their
stories. I greatly appreciate everyone's responses to my request,
but the main topic I was concerned with was that of Ribbon
Shirts and not to identify people. I am of the opinion that
there are so many versions of so many stories on many different
subjects that the main focus should be on the topic and not
who told the stories. If anyone feels different, that's fine.
I feel that for the purpose of my article names are the least
viable subject.
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A.
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"I
have heard ribbon shirts were made from calico cloth that
was obtained from trading posts and were originally used as
part of their regalia during pow wows and celebrations."
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B.
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I
am told by the Cherokee clothing historian that the ribbon
shirt we know is from the Anglo dress shirt that was originally
done east of the Mississippi and went westward with the Cherokee
when they got to Oklahoma. It was a loose blouse fit and the
sleeves resemble the sleeves of the tear dress. It is made
of calico and uses grosgrain ribbon not satin. The shirts
(the myth goes) were designed similar to the dress because
of the lack of scissors and thus fashioned that way. The shirt
was approved by the Cherokee Nation in 1978 when the tear
dress became the official Regalia. I am told the myth is probably
not true but that the reasoning behind it maybe. Some say
the shirt was actually made for children as a dress remember
the fashion of the time) and eventually became a shirt when
the male child grew. The difference I am told for Cherokee
is the grosgrain or cotton ribbon as opposed to satin, the
ruffle on the end of the cuff, and the Cherokee shirt has
longer ribbon. Hope this helps."
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C.
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"Ribbon
Shirts...from what I know, they're common to many tribes from
east to west, popular with both men and women since the introduction
of trade cloth. One story I heard is that they're a modern
version of an old trade convention, that when tribes met to
trade, the tribes would exchange shirts as a matter of respect,
particularly when medicines were traded.
"This
blurb comes from a 2000 NAMI (Smithsonian) exhibition:
"'The
power and aesthetics of these shirts reflect the compelling
lives and histories of the women who fashioned the garments,
the men who wore the shirts in battle and in peace, and
the diverse life forces of the vast Great Plains,' says
W. Richard West (Southern Cheyenne), director of the National
Museum of the American Indian. National Museum of the American
Indian curator George Horse Capture (Gros Ventre) and his
son Joseph Horse Capture (Gros Ventre), a curator at the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, worked together not only
as fellow scholars, but also as father and son, to provide
this exhibition with an illuminating wealth of insight and
information. To them and to the Native communities that
they visited and learned from, we are very grateful.
"These
shirts served many purposes beyond their obvious use as
clothing. In 19th-century communities from southern Canada
to northern Texas, the shirts were made to honor warriors
and tribal leaders, to adorn spiritual leaders, as well
as to channel animal power.
"The
Imagery on the shirts depicted important events, including
battles, and served to educate youth about the common values
of shirt-wearers-generosity, honor, and bravery. Today the
Plains shirt lives on in regalia worn at powwows and community
celebrations, and in shirts and jackets made to honor achievements
in sports and academia."
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D.
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As
I understand it, a ribbon shirt is a shirt that has a shirt,
very flaunty, that has pieces of fabric sewed upon it that
fly like ribbons. Think of a Peacock that spreads it's feathers
to look so wonderful! You can also go to Google and search
for Ribbon Shirt American Indian. You can also talk to traditional
Cherokee, (maybe other tribes or clans), to get your answer.
There is a Twinkie site that you can go to that might give
you an answer. Manataka.org that might give you an answer.
In case you do not know what a Twinkie means, it means to
the traditional NDN's, "Want to be" or even, "Mixed bloods
NDN's. You might have to to Google search Manataka. Though
it is a so called, "Twinkie Site", it is still a good site
as far as this one is concerned. That is the best I can tell
you for now. If you have no luck then try contacting the Cherokee
Tribe under Chad Smith in Oklahoma. Perhaps you should try
to go there first.
Blessings..."
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E.
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"Greetings.
I believe you will find that the ribbons are the symbolic
replacement of offerings of small slivers of one's own flesh
as a self-sacrifice for a particular ceremony. These pieces
of flesh were formerly wrapped in tiny bundles and sewn onto
a shirt. The ribbons look similar to the bundles and are now
standard fare, the original meaning having been almost lost.
"John
Fire Lame Deer used to say, 'White Christians let Jesus
do the suffering for them, but Indians give their own flesh,
taking the suffering upon themselves, making a sacrificial
altar of their own bodies. If we offer the Creator a horse,
tobacco bundles, food for the needy, we are making him a
present of something he already owns. Everything on this
Earth has been created by Wakan Tanka and is a part of him.
It is only our flesh, our blood, our pain, that is a real
sacrifice, a real giving of ourselves. How can we give anything
else?'"
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F.
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"The
Cherokee Ribbon Shirt was, as far as I can find out, created
shortly after European contact, it was patterned after the
drop sleeve shirt. There is no significance to the color of
the shirt and/or ribbons."
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G.
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"The
ribbons were first added to flour sacks that were part of
Native rations during the first start of the res time. The
sacks were so dull looking that the skins started to sew ribbons
on them to make them look better. This went in line with the
skins keeping the traditions as artisans. Then the more contemporary
ribbon shirt was introduced at the liberation of Wounded Knee
in 1973 by the AIM women. They made shirts for the leadership
during that time sewing on the color ribbons. Now it is part
of all Indian's apparel."
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H.
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"There
is no side to the ribbon shirt. It is a contemporary work
of art. I have yet to see a ribbon shirt I don't like. They
are all beautiful. No tribe owns them, they belong to the
one who chooses to wear them. Their origin can be traced back
to any upper body covering of any tribe."
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I.
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"I
was told that the shirts were originally made for the children
in the Indian schools, to give them a less-than obvious link
to their people. I'm not sure if this story will hold up,
given the strick effort that was made to separate the children
from their origins. Most of the pictures I have seen are of
uniforms that remove any uniqueness from the children."
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J.
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"To
me ribbon shirts are an Indian Spiritual formal wear. A way
of showing respect at ceremonies. As to the origin I haven't
a clue other than I do know that the Potawatomi people seem
to go way back with wearing ribbon shirts at ceremonies. I
would like to see what different spins are out there on the
origin of the ribbon shirt so please post them if you would."
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K.
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"Wendell
Cochran, who has designed the tear (not pronounced like crying,
but like ripping) dress for the Oklahoma Miss Cherokee Princess
for years, and is a voluminous historian who said that when
the white settlers moved into Cherokee country, their clothing
was very simple. Both the frontierman's shirt and his wife's
dress were made of squares and rectangles, as they could be
torn from a bolt of fabric. The cotton ribbon was common trade
goods as well. The fondness of calico fabric was developed
when the English took 6 leaders to meet the King of England
in the early 1700's, and they were made to wear turbans made
of calico cloth so as to not look like such savages (their
heads were shaved with only a pony-tail on top). These chiefs
liked the colors and fabric so much, they brought the custom
back and the use of this fabric spread rapidly among both
men and women. He also pointed out that originally, calico
was only two colors, with a very simple pattern. As the dying
of fabric improved over the years, three and four color cloth
became available. Therefore paintings with only 2 colored
fabric indicates the picture was painted in the early 1700's."
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L.
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"We
were told it was an adaptation of the "hair shirt". The Buckskin
one that had pieces of hair (scalps?) hanging from it, instead
of ribbons."
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M.
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"I
don't know a whole lot about ribbon shirts. I do know that
the Cherokee are one Nation to take credit for it. I don't
know where they originated for sure though because I've seen
historical pictures from other parts of the country that depict
the men wearing them as well. I think they simply go back
to traded shirts that were embellished by Indian women to
make our menfolk look fine."
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N.
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"I
was once told by an Elder (Woman) Kwew, when I asked the question
about Ribbon Shirts. She told me that it was to take the place
of the Ghost Dance Shirts because they were so sacred that
we did not want the white man to see or touch them. So we
started making ribbon shirts out of calico?? Be interested
to see what others know."
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O.
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"Here
is my two cents worth ... I think the answer is much simpler
than those previously submitted.
1.
Decorated clothing has always been a feature. The desire/need
to look "GOOD" for public occasions ... ceremonies, battles,
snagging, etc., is a fact of life. Your Momma never let
you go to school in dirty clothes and underwear.
2.
Cloth was adopted for clothing as soon as it became available.
After all, cloth does not require A WHOLE LOT OF WORK before
it is suitable for clothing. Hides, on the other hand, (as
far as we all know) require lots of work before it can be
used comfortably ... skinning, scraping, tanning. smoking...
So,
from where I sit, "Ribbon Shirts" are simply modern, cheaper,
and very much easier to construct, versions of decorated hide
clothing.
One
might also reason that the decorated clothing came about for
two reasons...the need to look "GOOD" and, as we all know,
the act of decorating clothing requires lots of time, a great
cure for "cabin fever."
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P.
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"My
take on it would be the updated version of the buckskin shirt
dating back to the days when Indians were first imprisoned
on the reservations and the only material they had access
to was the calico that was distributed as part of their rations.
I know this is how the "tear-cloth" grass dance outfit came
about as well as did some of the jingle dresses that were
made from the cans or tins distributed among the rations.
I'm thinking it more than likely could have come about in
the same way."
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Q.
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"From
what I understand, the ribbon shirts came to us from out west.
I was told that years ago in Lakota territory, the Lakota
people would make special shirts with ribbons on them for
their men who could speak English. By doing this, as government
officials, traders and settlers came into contact with the
Lakota people, they knew these were the one's who spoke English
and they could begin their communication."
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Well,
that's about it. I know this is rather lengthly, but out of respect
to everyone who submitted stories to me, I felt each story had to
be posted. I am impressed with the various versions and origins.
But this only goes to validate what I have been taught over and
over again about our ways...each tribe and Nation have their own
distinct story. These stories, in my opinion are what make and keep
us Indian.
In
conclusion I would say this. Ribbon Shirts are a show of honor,
respect, heritage, pride and identification. With over 550 different
tribes and Nations here on Turtle Island, I am proud knowing our
traditions are alive and well here in the 21st Century.
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