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WESTERN APACHE HIGH TOPPED MOCCASINS – LIKELY
CHIRICAHUA OR MESCALERO – A VERY NICE PAIR SHOWING
PERIOD USE AND WEAR:
This is a stunning pair of
19th Century Apache High Topped Moccasins of
the style worn by Western Apache men, in particular the
Chiricahuas and Mescalero.
A pair that was made
expressly for the man of the family and not for the
tourist or souvenir trade, these moccasins show the
honest use that would only come through regular daily
wear.
Thomas Mails’ seminal reference The People Called
Apache, provides considerable references to these
uniquely styled moccasins. On page 38 of there are two
19TH Century cabinet card images which show
three Apache men wearing high topped moccasins of this
very same pattern, with the folded high tops and the
distinctive “cactus kicker” round rawhide accents on the
toes. The captions identify the men as “San Carlos
Warriors”, indicating the reservation in southern
Arizona where they lived. Mails included an article
written by Dr. George Dorsey, Curator of Anthropology
for the Chicago Field Museum, wherein Dorsey observed:
“The moccasins have a hard sole, curving upward above
the toe for protection against thorns and cacti. The
better moccasins have exceedingly long “uppers”,
reaching the thighs, and thus serve as a protection to
the legs. Commonly, however, they are worn in three or
four folds, reaching only to the knee….The moccasins are
often sparingly decorated with painted designs and
beadwork. Those entirely covered with beads are made
merely for trade….” Mails goes on to comment
regarding the footwear of the Western Apache, “…men
wore….moccasins of a pattern slightly different from
those of the women, being hip length when first made.
These were soled with bull hide and cowhide and most had
the traditional turned-up, rounded toe piece.”
To place these moccasins in the proper context of the
time, it is important to acknowledge that the US
Government attempted to settle the Apaches on
reservations beginning in earnest in the 1870’s. In
spite of the myriad of documented incidents of open
warfare which occurred during the following twenty years
when various groups left the reservations, more often
than not with just cause, the majority of the Apaches
remained on the reservations and began the difficult
process of assimilation. During this era there was no
bright line of demarcation where the native clothing was
replaced by the European-American style clothing
manufactured in the East, rather a mixture of clothing
from both sources were worn concurrently, as evidenced
in period photographs. Likewise, the method and
materials used in the making of the native clothing
gradually changed, for example the use of commercial
thread replacing sinew in the assembly of the clothing -
in this case, the upper legs of this pair of moccasins.
Further, based on the conversations I, and others, have
had through the years, I have no doubt that most
collectors would find it surprising that the late 19TH
Century tribes not only had access to, but were also
capable of using, sewing machines. It is well
documented that the old treadle operated machines were
one of the conduits through which the agency and mission
teachers attempted to encourage the native peoples to
assimilate the white culture. If you doubt this, simply
do an online search for “Native American use of sewing
machines”. One photograph you’ll find is that of a
Blackfoot woman, wearing native dress, seated on a crate
at her treadle sewing machine which is positioned in
front of her tipi…a very evocative photo, indeed. Just
as the men incorporated the firearm, so too, the women
recognized the benefit of machinery as it came
available.
These moccasins, measuring 9 ½” the length of the foot,
and 3 ½” wide at the ball of the foot, stand 24” tall.
There is an additional 14” of buckskin folded down at
the top, arranged in a double upper cuff which is edged
in a hand cut saw tooth pattern. They are fashioned
from native tanned buckskin and still retain a soft,
supple texture with no hard or brittle spots. The foot
section and the upper folded cuff on both moccasins are
colored with powdered red ocher paint, somewhat faded
with age and wear, but still very apparent. Both
moccasins retain the original buckskin ties which are
anchored with small hide loops around the ankle for
securing the moccasin on the foot. The round toe tabs
are both present and fully intact, and still stand proud
of the foot as they should.
These moccasins both show some minor wear, indicating
this pair was worn on a regular basis for some time
before being acquired as a keepsake. The rawhide soles
of both moccasins show evidence of having been worn and
show the imprint of the owner’s feet. The sole of the
right moccasin is in excellent condition, completely
intact with no holes. The sole of the left moccasin is
worn through at the heel, as if the original owner may
have had an injured leg which caused his heel to drag.
The native tanned hide uppers are in very good to
excellent condition, still soft and supple.
The right upper has four
small holes which were original to the taking and the
tanning of the hide, not the result of wear or damage.
These holes were simply too small, and too insignificant
in their location, to bother with repairing them,
especially on a pair of utilitarian moccasins such as
these. The left upper has a hole on the back of the leg
approximately six inches above the heel which was
probably the result of wear. There is a second small
hole immediately below the outside ankle which could be,
as with those on the right upper, simply a hole that was
original to the hide and not worth repairing as it does
not appear to have any wear around it. Otherwise, the
uppers are fully intact and present very nicely.
The uppers are stitched to the heavy soles with sinew.
The only other stitching used to assemble these
moccasins is the single seam which runs up the inside
edges of the backs of the legs. Both of these vertical
seams are machine sewn with cotton thread, very well
executed and no doubt original to the assembly of these
moccasins. Having examined and handled this pair, I
have no doubt they are from the late 19TH
Century and were made by the Apache for use within the
family.
This pair was recently obtained from an old collection
which was built over the last 70 years, and only
recently became available to the collector’s market.
After acquiring these, I spent considerable thought
wrestling with whether to sell them or not. Too often I
run the risk of becoming my own best customer. Pieces
such as these, being part of an Apache man’s daily
wardrobe and prone to being worn out to the point of
destruction and eventually discarded or cut up to
salvage whatever usable leather remained, just did not
survive in great numbers to enter the collector’s
market, and frankly they are relatively scarce. Dating
back to the earliest explorers, the collector attention
has long been focused on the heavily decorated
ceremonial or dress clothing, which is certainly
understandable. However, that focus ignored the
foundation pieces of the material culture, and those
pieces such as these moccasins which maintained the
Apaches, and all the other tribes, in their day to day
struggle to survive their harsh environment. The
buckskin from which this pair is made, the style, and
the evidence of wear, all testify to the many miles
these moccasins traveled, and the history which was
witnessed by the warrior who wore them. In short, a
spectacular pair to add to your collection.
SOLD
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