Dress

The ancient Creek People, living in a warm climate, wore a minimum of clothing. Men wore a breech cloth of deerskin; the women, skirts made from finely woven plant fibers, such as from the inner bark of the mulberry tree. Both men and women wore a top made from a long strip of the same fibers which draped over the left shoulder. This woven fiber was described by one in DeSoto's expedition as being as beautiful as any silk from the orient. For the cooler months, the people wore warm clothing made from well-tanned deerskins with outer wraps of fur hides, woven fiber blankets or feather mantles After contact with Europeans, and the introduction of cotton cloth, the Creek camp dress we know today, similar to dresses worn by pioneer white women, gradually evolved. Cotton, calico-type cloth was favored and both women's long, tiered dresses and men's long shirts would be decorated with flowing ribbons, feathers, beads and shells. Leggings and moccasins were made of deerskin and often decorated with elaborate beading. Men often wore turbans -- long strips of fabric wrapped about the head, sometimes decorated with feather plumes. Turbans could be unwrapped and used as hammocks to sleep off the damp ground and away from unwanted guests.