266 EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



of cloth for garments and European blankets for fur cloaks. Langs- 

 dorff says of the Tliiigit in 1806: 



The clothiug of these people is very simple, consisting of a covering around the 

 waist, and an outer garment made of a piece of cloth or skin about 5 feet square, two 

 ends of which are either tied round the neck or fastened together with a button and 

 button-hole.* 



The favorite colors were red and blue, but this costume was only worn 

 about the villages. Out hunting and fishing they practically went 

 naked. Later, when the European blanket replaced the cloth cloaks, 

 they were ornamented with a border of red or blue cloth, on which was 

 sewn rows of pearl buttons, thimbles, Chinese coins, etc. This style of 

 blanket obtains to-day. (See Plate xi.) Plate xi represents the 

 modern costume of the Tlingit. The ear pendents of the man are 

 shark's teeth. The labret of the woman is bone or silver, and illustrates 

 the transition stage from the large labret to none at all, or almost none. 



The early voyagers were astonished at the demand for thimbles on the 

 coast, and supposed the women to need them for sewing. It was found, 

 however, that the use of the needle was very little understood,t and 

 that the thimbles were regarded as rare ornaments for blankets and 

 clothing. Formerly abalone and dentalium were looked upon as the 

 most valuable kind of trimmings and ornaments, but their importation 

 in quantities by Europeans cheapened their value. The Chinese coins 

 were admired for the cabalistic characters on them. 



The women early adopted European dress, supplemented with the 

 ordinary blanket. The present costume, with head kerchief of black silk, 

 is seen in Plate xi. The earlier costumes, however, were ornamented 

 more elaborately. On the dress were tightly-fitting stays of cloth, often 

 of scarlet color, ornamented with pearl buttons. These, with silver or 

 bone nose-rings, bracelets on the arms, braids of silk or red worsted in 

 the ears, and European blankets across the shoulders, made up the 

 costume of the Indian women around Dixon Entrance up to more recent 

 years, since when plain "store clothes" have displaced the former more 

 gaudy vestments. To complete the former costume, it should be added 

 that the hair worn long, was usually parted in front and bound club- 

 shaped behind with scarlet cloth. At present the hair is usually worn 

 in two plaits down the back. Both sexes as a rule go barefooted, but 

 before the introduction of European shoes moccasins of one or two thick- 

 nesses of deer or elk hide were worn in cold weather. The older Indians 

 still wear them in out-of-the-way localities. These they either make 

 themselves or trade for with the Tinne tribes of the interior. 



Head-covering. — Both sexes, until recent years, either went bare- 

 headed, or wore hats woven of grass and painted with the totem of the 

 owner. In ceremonies, of course, various styles of ceremonial head- 

 dresses are and were formerly worn ; and in war costume, heavy wooden 

 helmets protected the head. At present, all styles of European hats 



*Langsdorff, Voyages, Pt. ii, p. 112. t Lisiansky, Voyage, p. 241. 



