Choose a nationality or tribal group to research (anywhere in the world) and report on it.
#1 what was the group's traditional dress before being contacted by or assimilated into "Western" culture? #2 What changes have been incorporated after contact? #3 What traditional styles, if any remain? And, #4 What pressures facilitated change or preserved tradition?
Southeast Alaska Natives
The group's traditional dress was that of animal skins, shells, feathers, and beads. After contact with the Westerners, their beads changed into glass beads, which were easier to get and were also in greater quantities. Needles and thread, the way we know them, came into play. Fabrics, like cotton and wool, became increasingly popular because it kept people a little warmer. Beadwork still remains, for ceremonies the beaded shalls still remain, you can still find the moccasins. Change really occurred when the Russians came over and when people figured out that there was gold in Alaska. The Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center in Haines has preserved the old styles. The tribe councils have also retained some of the festival traditions, where people wear the older styles of dress.
