Dene Dress

An example of early twentieth-century fashion in a moose-skin dress.

Posted March 7, 2011
The Manitoba Museum, HBC Museum Collection

Early twentieth-century Dene fashion is seen in this moose-skin dress. The amber-coloured, smoke-tanned hide was prepared by Dene women and joined together with sinew. Fur trader influence is shown in the use of woolen cloth for the sleeve ends and shoulder cape. Glass beads and decorative yarn fringes accent the knee-length outfit. European style is also evident in the stand-up military-style collar.

 

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