8 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



In his Description of New Netherland (1671) Arnoldus Montanus. 

 is quite elaborate, but had most of his account from the earlier one 

 of Van der Donck. He said: 



The clothing of the New Netherland ers is most sumptuous. 

 The "women ornament themselves more than the men. And 

 although the winters are very severe, they go naked until* their 

 thirteenth year; the lower parts of the girls' bodies only are covered. 

 All wear around the waist a girdle made of the fin of the whale or 

 of seawant. The men wear between the legs a lap of duffels cloth,. 

 or leather, half an ell broad and nine quarters long; so that a square 

 piece behind hangs over the buttocks and in front over the belly. 

 The women wear a petticoat down midway the leg, very richly orna- 

 mented with seawant, so that the garment sometimes costs three 

 hundred guilders. They also wrap the naked body in a deer's skin,. 

 the tips of which swing with thin points. A long robe fastened on 

 the right shoulder with a knot, at the waist by a girdle, serves the 

 men and women for an upper ornament, and by night for a bed 

 cover. Both go, for the most part, bareheaded. The women bind 

 their hair behind in a plait, over which they draw a square cap 

 thickly interwoven with seawant. They decorate the ornaments for 

 the forehead with the same stuff. Around the neck and arms they 

 wear bracelets of seawant, and some around the waist. Shoes and 

 stockings were made of Elk hides before the Hollanders settled here. 

 Others made shoes even of straw. But since some time they prefer 

 Dutch shoes and stockings. O'Collaghan, 4:125 



In the Remonstrance of New Netherland, 1649, we are told that,, 

 beside a piece of duffels, deerskin or elk hide, 



Some have a bearskin of which they make doublets ; others again,, 

 coats of the skins of racoons, wild cats, wolves, dogs, fishers, squir- 

 rels, beavers and the like; and they even have made themselves. 

 some of turkey's feathers; now they make use for the most part of 

 duffels cloth which they obtain in trade from the Christians; they 

 make their stockings and shoes of deerskins or elk hides, some even- 

 have shoes of corn husks whereof they also make sacks. 

 They twine both white and black wampum around their heads; for- 

 merly they were not wont to cover these, but now they are begin- 

 ning to wear bonnets or caps which they purchase from the Chris- 

 tians; they wear Wampum in the ears, around the neck and around 

 the waist, and thus in their way are mighty fine. They have also- 

 long deers-hair which is dyed red, whereof they make ringlets to 

 encircle the head; and other fine hair of the same color, which 

 hangs around the neck in braids, whereof they are very vain, 

 O'Cattaghan, 1:281 



