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
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