INSIDE NMAI


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WEAVING RANK: S


THE MEANING OF CHOCTAW SASHES BY CLAU DIA LIMA


ashes are lengthy strips of cloth worn over one shoulder or around the waist, mostly as part of a uniform or of- ficial


dress. Finger-woven bandoliers and sashes were


often associated with the Southeast culture, although those made from red wool trade- cloth and ornamented with bead embroidery in geometric designs are commonly related to the Choctaw, Alabama and Coushatta. Choctaw male leaders wore sashes like


the one pictured here. The higher the rank, the more sashes an individual wore. The ara- besque designs characteristic of these shoul- der sashes are frequently said to resemble those found on early southeastern pottery. However, the uniform of the British “red- coats” might also have been an influence on this ancient Indigenous tradition of making belts and sashes with beads. Choctaw textiles were mainly made with


bison wool. Through time, Choctaw ancestors created shoes, skirts, sashes, mats and bags from plant-fiber cloth. They also made robes attaching small turkey or swan feathers, one by one, to a plant fiber net. Techniques such as twining and looping were also added to the making of these garments and other items. The sash-makers also incorporated yarns dyed in different colors and painted sections of the finished fabric, producing astoundingly deco- rative pieces. This piece will be part of the exhibition


Infinity of Nations at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York in 2016 after a major object rotation beginning in December 2015. X


Claudia Lima is a former intern of the Museum’s Office of Public Affairs.


Mississippi Choctaw shoulder sash/Baldric; Neshoba County and Scott County, Mississippi. Creation date: 1895-1905, 49.4" x 3.5". (01/8859)


54 AMERICAN INDIAN WINTER 2015


PHOTO BY DAVID HEALD


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