Breechclout

Hidatsa Native Indian wearing breechclout

Breechclout
Facts and information about the History of Clothing and regalia of Native American Indians and their Breechclout. The Breechclout was the most basic item of clothing worn by all the men of every Native American Indian tribes, with the exception of those who lived in climates that were warm enough to wear nothing at all.

The painting depicts E'e-a chín-che-a, meaning 'Red Thunder', who was a Hidatsa warrior. It was painted by the famous artist George Catlin (1796-1872) in 1832 and depicts the minimal war-dress of Native Indians.

Breechclout Fact Sheet

  • Breechclout Fact 1: The Native Indian breechclouts were basic one-piece articles of clothing that covered the loins of the wearer
  • Breechclout Fact 2: When made of cloth, the breechclout is referred to as a breechcloth or loincloth
  • Breechclout Fact 3: Breechcloths were often worn with leggings which provided warmth in the winter or protection from sharp branches and undergrowth in wooded areas
  • Breechclout Fact 4: The style of breechcloth varied from tribe to tribe loincloths and varied in length. Some were covered with a decorated apron
  • Breechclout Fact 5: Breechclouts were made from a rectangular piece of deerskin or buckskin that measured about 50 inches long and 8 - 10 inches wide
  • Breechclout Fact 6: Breechclouts was secured at the waist with a belt or thong and passed between the legs. The ends hung down from the belt at the front and the back forming flaps
  • Breechclout Fact 7: Breechclouts was often decorated with paint, or a basic form of embroidery
  • Breechclout Fact 8: The leggings were attached by straps, a form of suspenders, to the belt of the breechclout. The upper thigh and behind were partially exposed
  • Breechclout Fact 9: Young girls, before puberty, garment in many tribes. Others sometimes wore them beneath their dress
  • Breechclout Fact 10: Breechclouts were made out of buckskin, bark fiber or the skins of beaver, rabbit, raccoon, deer, buffalo, or other animal skins
  • Breechclout Fact 11: The early colonists referred to the garment as "Indian breeches".
  • Breechclout Fact 12: A 'clout' was an old fashioned word for a small piece of cloth or leather
  • Breechclout Fact 13: As trading increased with the European colonists the Native Americans traded furs, skins and pelts for machine-made textiles called Trade Cloth from which they made their breechcloths in the favored colors of  blue and red
Native American Clothing
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Updated 2018-01-01

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