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• Oćhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux) artist
• About 1890
• Beads, leather, tin, cloth, porcupine quills, and feathers
• Gift of Rev. and Mrs. C. W. Douglas, 1935.40A-B

Since each nation has its own style of making moccasins and its own set of visual markers, you can tell a wearer’s community affiliation by looking at their moccasins. This pair of moccasins worn by the Oćhéthi Šakówiŋ were made with green and white beads. The two green triangles are abstracted shapes of buffalo footprints, a common motif for this tribe. The fully beaded bottom of these moccasins makes them very vulnerable to breakage or slipping. Today, Indigenous peoples still wear their moccasins to events and ceremonies. In November, which is Native American Heritage Month, there is a special period known as “Rock your Mocs,” in which a person can show their pride in being Indigenous.