{"id":41012,"date":"2020-05-21T15:37:46","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T15:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crazycrow.com\/site\/?p=41012"},"modified":"2024-11-19T14:36:42","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T14:36:42","slug":"lenape-ribbonwork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crazycrow.com\/site\/lenape-ribbonwork\/","title":{"rendered":"Lenape Ribbonwork"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lenape<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Lenape Ribbonwork<\/h1>\n

Compiled By: Jim Rementer, Secretary<\/h2>\n

Culture Preservation Committee ~ Delaware Tribe of Indians<\/h3>\n<\/div>

Lenape Ribbonwork<\/h1>\n

Compiled By: Jim Rementer, Secretary<\/h2>\n

Culture Preservation Committee ~ Delaware Tribe of Indians<\/h3>\n<\/div>
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This is a two panel list about Lenape ribbonwork. The main purpose of this list is to present images of various ribbonwork patterns, and since many styles of ribbonwork had no special Lenape names they will not be given. The eighteenth century Delawares developed new decorative techniques using ribbons. These replaced the quillwork and possible use of paint as ornamentation, although quillwork continued to be used on moccasins until the late nineteenth century. The ribbonwork found on skirts and leggings of the Delaware is considered typical of the Woodlands as a whole although each tribe developed their own patterns. Research on the personal appearance of other Woodlands tribes is sketchy, but ribbons were mentioned by seventeenth century observers as hair ornaments. Their application in geometric designs was an eighteenth century development. The technique appears to be well developed by at least the 1770’s for the Delaware.<\/p>\n

The silk ribbons used in native ribbonwork were used as trade items by traders in the 1700s if not earlier. When clothing decorated by ribbons went out of style in Europe the unwanted ribbons were exported to the Americas. Exactly when ribbonwork began is unknown, but by 1800 this unique style of decoration was seen among several woodland tribes Ribbonwork involves sewing strips of colored ribbon onto another base fabric and is used as a trim decoration on various clothing items. Patterns are created in the ribbonwork strip by cutting or folding the material and different levels of ribbons reveal many colors of cloth. The ribbonwork strip is created using two parts: an uncut base ribbon and a secondary cut or folded pattern ribbon. The secondary ribbon is attached to the base ribbon to reveal a pattern made from the color of the base ribbon. Highly intricate ribbonwork patterns contain more than two ribbons and create a pattern of several different colors.<\/p>\n

Skilled ribbonworkers have used many different colors of ribbons. The original ribbons were made of brightly colored silk and then handstitched on darkly colored wool, broadcloth and sometimes leather. Due to the nature of the material, early productions of items with ribbonwork are extremely perishable and fragile. Also, some of the ribbon was weighed with lead salts to produce a heavier product but this hastened the deterioration. In more modern times ribbonworkers use a sewing machine to create more designs at a faster pace and often use less expensive taffeta, grosgrain, or satin ribbons. One of the favored types of ribbon the Delawares used was Moir\u00e9 ribbon.<\/p>\n

Early Ribbonwork<\/h2>\n<\/div>
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This cap has fur from a bear and is decorated with ribbonwork edged with beads.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately there does not seem to be a date with this cap.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This early Delaware moccasin has simple ribbonwork and the seam on the toe is decorated with porcupine
\nquillwork.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately there does not seem to be a date with this.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is an early pair of Delaware moccasins decorated with ribbonwork on the cuffs. There is a narrow band of beadwork down the toe seam.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is a pair of Delaware men\u2019s leggings made of a red woolen material. They are elaborately decorated with ribbonwork. They were collected from the Delawares when they lived in Kansas in 1832.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Later Examples of Delaware Ribbonwork<\/h2>\n<\/div>
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This is a woman\u2019s ceremonial blanket decorated with ribbonwork and some beadwork. It is dated to about 1890.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is another woman\u2019s ceremonial blanket decorated with ribbonwork around the bottom and silver brooches placed elsewhere on the blanket.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This photo shows a Delaware woman wearing an elaborately decorated blanket. It is decorated with several rows of ribbonwork and note her leggings which also have ribbonwork decoration. On her blouse collar there are many small silver brooches. Photo from about 1910.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is a fairly early example of Delaware ribbonwork where the maker was experimenting with something other than using the small diamond pattern.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This example of Delaware ribbonwork was done using Moir\u00e9 ribbon.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is a Delaware woman\u2019s wraparound skirt. It is decorated with a panel down one side and designs along the bottom are done with beadwork.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is another Delaware woman\u2019s wrap-around skirt with a ribbonwork panel down one side and a matching one around the bottom of the skirt. The preferred material used to make these skirts was some type of woolen broadcloth.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is a Delaware man\u2019s breechcloth. It is mainly decorated with beaded designs but it also has ribbonwork down both sides.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is a set of what is called a man\u2019s dance aprons. These were used in
\nplace of the long breechcloth to make it look like the wearer is actually wearing a full breechcloth and worn over some type of pants.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is a pair of Delaware women\u2019s leggings. Down one side and around the bottom is very intricate ribbonwork done in a small diamond motif.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is a pair of Delaware men\u2019s leggings decorated with ribbonwork using the small diamond pattern.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This pair of moccasins was collected from the Delawares who were living in Kansas in 1838. It shows a slightly different style of ribbonwork and the toe seam is decorated with a narrow band of porcupine quillwork.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"Lenape<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div>
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This pair of moccasins was collected from the Delawares who were living in Kansas in 1838. It shows a slightly different style of ribbonwork and the toe seam is decorated with a narrow band of porcupine quillwork.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This pair of moccasins has ribbonworked cuffs with the small diamond designs and beadwork on the toe. These were made about 1960.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This pair of moccasins has a different style of little diamond work on the cuffs and they were made in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Another type of decoration that was used on clothing was to cut strips from some type of washable material like cotton. These were then sewed up using the same patterns that are used in ribbonwork. These were usually applied to some type of garment like a dress that was washable.<\/p>\n

Anna Laura Wilson Wahnee shows an example of a dress that was given to her as a gift and decorated with this type of work.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is another example of a dress worn by Nora Dean that was decorated with ribbonwork using a cotton material.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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This is a photo from 2019 showing three young Delaware women in traditional dresses decorated with ribbonwork. They are: Minnie Thaxton Dombrovski, Quay Hosey & Anna Pechonick Pate.<\/p>\n

Note: The silver crowns are not part of traditional Delaware clothing but go with their awards. Delaware women did wear a silver comb at the back of the head.<\/p>\n

Click Image to Enlarge.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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ABOUT THE DELAWARE TRIBE OF INDIANS<\/h2>\n

The name DELAWARE was given to the people who lived along the Delaware River, and the river in turn was named after Lord de la Warr, the governor of the Jamestown colony. The name Delaware later came to be applied to almost all Lenape people. In their language, which belongs to the Algonquian language family, the Delaware call ourselves LENAPE (len-NAH-pay) which means something like \u201cThe People.\u201d Their ancestors were among the first Indians to come in contact with the Europeans (Dutch, English, & Swedish) in the early 1600s. The Delaware were called the \u201cGrandfather\u201d tribe because they were respected by other tribes as peacemakers since we often served to settle disputes among rival tribes. They were also known for their fierceness and tenacity as warriors when they had to fight, however, they preferred to choose a path of peace with the Europeans and other tribes.<\/p>\n

Many of the early treaties and land sales signed with the Europeans were in the Delaware peoples’ minds more like leases. The early Delaware had no idea that land was something that could be sold. The land belonged to the Creator, and the Lenape people were only using it to shelter and feed their people. When the poor, bedraggled people got off their ships after the long voyage and needed a place to live, the Delaware shared the land with them. They gave them a few token gifts for our people\u2019s kindness, but in the mind of the Europeans these gifts were actually the purchase price for the land.<\/p>\n

The Delaware people signed the first Indian treaty with the newly formed United States Government on September 17, 1778. Nevertheless, through war and peace, their ancestors had to continue to give up their lands and move westward (first to Ohio, then to Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, and finally, Indian Territory, now Oklahoma). One small band of Delawares left the group in the late 1700s and through different migrations are today located at Anadarko, Oklahoma. Small contingents of Delawares fled to Canada during a time of extreme persecution and today occupy two reserves in Ontario (The Delaware Nation at Moraviantown and The Munsee-Delaware Nation).<\/p>\n

Official Delaware Tribe of Indians Website<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Crazy Crow Articles<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n