Traditional Cherokee clothing is very different than popularized images of Native people with feathered warbonnets, bone bead chokers, geometric beadwork, etc. The Cherokee people originated in the eastern woodlands, where tribes traditionally wear more subtle clothing and regalia. For men and women, cloth is plain or softly patterned, and sometimes adorned with ribbons. Many men do not have long hair, but simple headbands, turbans, or round porcupine hair roaches are often worn. Sometimes, one or two feathers are tied to the back of a headband or lock of hair. Cloth or wool garters are worn just below the knees. Bags and pouches may have rounded leaf or flower shapes made with different colors of cloth or beadwork. Photo taken in 2022 at a state historic site where I volunteered.
Traditional Eastern Woodland and Cherokee moccasins are often 'pucker toe' style, with a center seam. This is a pair I made from deerskin.
2019-20 Miss Cherokee Amy West of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) with an example of 18th century Cherokee women's clothing: wool wrap skirt and leggings, pucker-toe moccasins, a bandolier bag, belt with beads, and a feather cape. Photo: Cherokee One Feather News
The traditional dancer in this painting is part of the Warriors of AniKituhwa, a Cherokee dance group with historically accurate Cherokee regalia.
The official dress of the Cherokee Nation today is the 'tear' dress, named because the fabric is torn by hand rather than cut with scissors. Photo of the Miss Cherokee competition, 2025.
Before the 1700s, Cherokees wore somewhat simpler clothing made of deerskin and cloth. The Cherokee Nation created Diligwa, a living history village in Oklahoma, to demonstrate early Cherokee life and culture. Photo: Cherokee Nation.
