Homemade Indian Costume

A homemade Indian costume is a clever and original choice for the holidays, whether for Halloween dress-up or a themed Thanksgiving event or play. Creating your own Indian costume takes a bit of skill and attention to small details, but the end results are worth your efforts and are much more authentic than store-bought costume options.

Make an easy Indian costume!

Keep in mind every Indian tribe or Nation will have its own cultural suit of dress. Unless you plan on portraying a chief or significant member of the tribe, a basic Indian costume will suffice to capture the look of an Indian. History books and encyclopedias are wonderful references for tribal facts and common dress. If accuracy is of upmost importance, make sure you research the tribe and significant members thoroughly prior to constructing your own Indian costume.

Supplies needed for a basic Indian costume:

• For women: A cotton, suede or micro-suede tan dress cut on the bias or with a jagged edge. Dress should be free of any details or notions.
• For men: A pair of light tan pants or brown cotton drawstring pants and a brown vest in the same color family. To construct a vest, create a boxy smock-like shape out of folded fabric. Cut a semi-circle opening for the head and arms to fit through comfortably.
• Fringe and details: Adding fringe and small Native American details will help authenticate the look of your Indian costume. You can purchase suede fringe from the craft store or create a fringe scrap by cutting peaks into a strip or brown felt. Attach the fringe to the bottom of the vest and pant legs for the boys, and at the bottom of the dress hem for girls.
• Add notions: Once the basic costume has been constructed, you can go crazy adding small cultural adornments such as beading, embroidering, feathers, or tribal symbols. Let your creativity take over and affix small adornments over the body of the suit. You can use a hot glue gun to affix feathers, or simply bead feathers onto suede cord and tie them through small holes made in the costume, carefully knotting the ends to secure the jewelry. Many native designs include rich beading and figural displays. You can spend time beading a Chief's headdress onto the back of your costume, although this process is labor intensive, the results would be stunning!
• Head pieces: Although an elaborate head-piece is rather intensive to construct, you can add a feathered piece to your costume to complete your tribal look. Boys can wear feathers affixed to suede cord simply tied into their hair, while women can wear beaded or feathered headbands as an alternative to a heavy headpiece. The most significant tribal members usually wore elaborate head dress pieces only during ceremonial festivities, so keep this adornment simple and focus your time more on the costume embellishment and design.
• Shoes: To complete your Indian costume with authenticity, you'll need to don a pair of moccasin boots or suede flats. Minnetonka constructs a variety or suede footwear and boots perfect for Indian reenactment. Whether you opt for fringed boots or beaded sandals, your shoes will be of significant importance, so make sure you plan wisely and opt for casual suede shoe.

When authentic tribe portrayal is of importance, check multiple sources and references for costume inspirations. Your local historical society or any local tribal member group may be able to assist you in your quest of creating a homemade Indian costume.

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