Everything you need to know about Indian Moccasins

How to make Native American moccasins – What are you looking for?

The goal of this blog is to be a hub for people searching for “Indian moccasins” who find us through various internet searches. We want to ensure that whatever the reason you are looking for “Indian moccasins” online, you will find them here—whether you need everything to make them yourself, or information on the history and origins of moccasins.

An introduction to Indian Moccasins

Moccasins are the footwear most often associated with traditional Native American shoes. Indian moccasins for men are highly valued items among Native Americans. Historically, the origins of these shoes come from the American Indians. They utilized their savanna environment to obtain a sole (animal hide). They would then sew this sole with leather using bison tendons to create a sturdy shoe. You can immediately recognize Indian shoes as soon as you see them because they are made of leather and usually feature fine fringes hanging on the vamp. This Native American art has been perfected over the years, giving birth to: fringed sandals, Indian boots, Indian ankle boots… all of which originate from the footwear of the American Indians.

Why are these shoes called “moccasins” (definition)?

The word “moccasin” eventually came to designate the leather shoes of most North American Indian peoples due to the circumstances of the first contacts between white settlers on the New England coast and their closest indigenous neighbors. The word moccasin derives from the makasin word in the Powhatan Algonquian language and the Proto-Algonquian word “maxkeseni” (shoe). The term “moccasin” traditionally referred to a shoe with a U-shaped pleated “vamp” over the instep.

The name of the Ojibway tribe of the Great Lakes means “people of the pleated moccasin.” The Narragansett word from southern New England for the shoe is “Mocussinass” or “Mockussinchass.” Today, the word moccasin, known by various spellings, generally refers to all types of Indian footwear (sandals, ankle boots, boots…), originating from Native Americans.

Moccasins are adapted to the foot and the environment!

Hard-sole moccasins

Native American moccasin styles, their design, and the materials used to make them were the result of their specific environment. Hard-sole moccasins, always made for left and right feet and generally consisting of two or more pieces of hide, are associated with the plains and desert regions of the West. The thick, hard sole made of shaped rawhide and the fitted leather upper required more craftsmanship than other types of moccasins. Hard-sole moccasins protect the feet against hard ground covered with cacti or prairie grass or against sharp rocks, making them perfect for hiking.

Soft-sole moccasins

Soft-sole moccasins, often made from a single piece of leather, were common in the Eastern forests and were made by bringing the sole of the shoe up around the foot and gathering or patching the material around the instep. Soft-sole moccasins with a center seam and pleated toe were particularly well-suited for traveling in forests where the ground was covered with leaves and pine needles. Some soft-sole moccasins from the Plains and the Northwest Coast were made from a single piece, but they were sewn on one side of the foot rather than in the center.

The most basic form of soft-sole moccasin was the simple center seam made from a single piece of soft-tanned leather. The leather sides were brought up from the bottom and around the sides of the foot, sewn into a center seam starting with a pleated stitch at the toe and running along the upper instep. Variants of this soft-sole moccasin construction include a U-shaped piece of leather added as a vamp, while another piece was added to the back of the moccasin to serve as a cuff.

👉 Flat Heel Indian Ankle Boots

Some Great Lakes and Iroquois tribes used a wide vamp, added to cover most of the front upper part of the moccasin. Other Eastern forest tribes constructed their shoes with a shorter or narrower vamp, which sometimes joined a gathered center seam running down the front upper part to the toe.

Buy our modern Indian footwear!

If you are like us, a fan of modernity and delicacy, and you don’t have the time to craft a traditional Indian moccasin, these shoes are made for you!

Native American Sandals:

Warrior Indian Sandals are perfect for the modern woman who appreciates the moccasin style. With their suede upper and colorful patterns, this type of moccasin brings elegance to your outfits in a bohemian style. The Native American art of these sandals goes perfectly with beige or brown clothing. If you prefer black, this type of moccasin will add a touch of modernity to your outfit.

👉 Warrior Indian Sandals

Indian Ankle Boots:

With their flat heel and fringes that recall the Sioux style, these little Indian ankle boots will appeal to fashionable women. Made from suede leather, this moccasin style is perfect for autumn. In Canada, these are very popular shoes that both men and women adopt when temperatures start to drop. These boots are available in the shop in beige, black, and brown.

👉 Ethnic Colored Ankle Boots

Fringed Boots:

With these Dark Brown Indian Cavalier Boots, set out to conquer Canada! Warm and comfortable, these suede leather shoes will be perfect for facing winter and the Canadian cold. This type of moccasin is ideal for women who like to stay warm while maintaining style. Find this iconic model of Native American footwear in our shop.

👉 Indian Cavalier Boots

Indian Sneakers:

Native American shoes can also adopt a modern style! These Black Rivet Indian sneakers reclaim Indian art to add style to your outfit! Whether you wear beige or darker-colored clothing, these sneakers will suit every occasion. Are you a woman looking for comfort while staying stylish? These Black Rivet sneakers available in the shop will fully satisfy you! For men too, other models will be available.

👉 Black Rivet Sneakers

Tribal variations in design and decoration

Customs of different tribes:

One could say that tribal differences in the design and decoration of moccasins literally start at the base! Some moccasin styles are so distinctive that one can recognize the wearer’s Indian tribe by their footprints. Moccasins were made with all sorts of variations and additions based on the traditions of different tribes. Leather or fur flaps were often added to cover the ankle, or folded down to form a cuff. Some were turned into Native American boots simply by attaching them to leggings. Pieces of leather of different sizes, in the shape of a U or an ellipse, called vamps or inserts, were added to the shoe upper at the instep. A tongue for hard- and soft-sole moccasins was often added and cut into different shapes and decorated.

Different stitching methods for Indian shoes:

Many methods were used to gather the toes of woodland Native American shoes with center seams. One could sew distinctive “rabbit nose” or “partridge” moccasins by first cutting the pattern in a “w” shape. There were also many ways to finish Native American heels. Some varieties of these fringed shoes from the Eastern woodland region often left a small tab, or tail, cut into different shapes, which trailed behind. Other single-piece American Indian moccasins have no tail, or the tab is sewn to the heel for extra reinforcement.

Plains Moccasin

Some Plains moccasins had fringe attached to the heel seam or added to the instep; as the fringe trailed behind the walker, it could help erase footprints. Even if moccasin construction techniques are similar from one tribe to another, the quillwork (and later beadwork) was generally quite distinctive. Plains moccasins often left the cuff undecorated, but geometric patterns of beads and porcupine quills often decorated the instep area, or the circumference near the sole. Some Plains patterns covered the entire upper part of the moccasin, from heel to toe. Moccasins worn for weddings were often entirely covered in beads. So that Plains peoples were ready to face the afterlife, many moccasins worn during burial were entirely beaded, even on the bottom of the sole.

Woodland Moccasin

Woodland moccasins were often decorated with floral or zoomorphic (animal) patterns on the instep or tongue. Woodland decorations generally did not cover the sides of the shoe. The flap or cuff added around the ankle was also often decorated, or worn straight and held in place by straps wrapped around the ankle. A piece of beaded or quilled velvet or leather was sometimes sewn onto the top of the cuff or tongue. These decorated panels could be easily removed from the moccasins when the soles were worn out, and sewn onto a new pair.

Making a moccasin: Choosing the right leather

Native American moccasins were generally made from soft deer, elk, moose, or bison hides. Rawhide was used for hard-sole moccasins. Large animal hides were much thicker than deerskins. Thicker hides were harder to sew but produced stronger and more durable moccasins. Sewing is easier with Indian-tanned (or brain-tanned) soft leather, but commercial suede and split leather (by far the most common today) are also suitable for making moccasins.

Which leather to sew an Indian shoe?

Commercial leather most closely resembles tanned leather when it is split (suede on both sides), as the smooth outer layer of the hide has been separated. Leather thickness is measured by the weight in ounces of a square foot of leather. Very thin clothing leathers, weighing 1 to 2 oz, are generally too thin for practical moccasins, while heavy leathers, weighing 5 to 6 oz, can be almost impossible to sew by hand. A medium-thickness leather (3-4 oz) is recommended for most soft-sole moccasins. Patterns should be laid out on the hide so that the pieces follow the grain of the leather, so that the moccasins are uniform.

You can save leather by laying out the pieces to be cut in the hide in less crowded areas, but since leather stretches in different directions, the stitching can become a bit uneven if the grain direction is ignored.

Stitching methods

Indian moccasins are assembled inside out to hide the seams in the finished shoe. Traditional stitching was done with animal sinew in holes punched with an awl. For comfort, knots were kept on the outside of the shoe.

The whip stitch was commonly used in making Indian moccasins, often with narrow piping along the length of the seam to make it stronger and to help hide the seam once turned. The running stitch was also used in places where the whip stitch was not as practical (adding fringe, etc.). Seams were often lightly hammered flat in gathered areas.

How to care for an Indian moccasin?

To care for an Indian moccasin for men or women, you can use a dry cloth to clean your shoe of dust. Then, you should rub its surface with another cloth to have a shoe that shines. We conclude that cleaning a moccasin is very simple, but it is better not to experiment, otherwise, it will damage the moccasin leather.

Your source for craft supplies for making Native American moccasins:

The Native American Boutique has long been your number one source for Native American craft supplies for your pow-wow ceremonies and other needs. This photo gallery and article represent moccasins from all regions and tribal origins. Like many articles and galleries we add to the site, it is a work in progress. If you find something to correct, or if you have something to add, whether in the form of a story or photos and videos, we appreciate your contribution. We cannot guarantee that everything submitted will be included, but it will be carefully reviewed.

Choosing your Native American moccasin safely:

Indian moccasins offer a very wide field of creativity to the point that a number of artisans specialize only in this Native American art.

Whether you consider the Native American world as part of your individual identity or you simply admire this type of shoe, a well-chosen Indian moccasin could be the perfect way to show your heritage.

We also suggest you check out our different collections of Indian footwear.

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