er
a piece of calico or white cotton cloth, gathered about the neck,
becomes the extra protection against mild coolness in their winters.

[Illustration: Fig. 63. Seminole costume.]

Costume of the Women.

The costume of the women is hardly more complex than that of the men. It
consists, apparently, of but two garments, one of which, for lack of a
better English word, I name a short shirt, the other a long skirt. The
shirt is cut quite low at the neck and is just long enough to cover the
breasts. Its sleeves are buttoned close about the wrists. The garment is
otherwise buttonless, being wide enough at the neck for it to be easily
put on or taken off over the head. The conservatism of the Seminole
Indian is shown in nothing more clearly than in the use, by the women,
of this much abbreviated covering for the upper part of their bodies.
The women are noticeably modest, yet it does not seem to have occurred
to them that by making a slight change in their upper garment they might
free themselves from frequent embarrassment. In going about their work
they were constantly engaged in what our street boys would call "pulling
down their vests." This may have been done because a stranger's eyes
were upon them; but I noticed that in rising or in sitting down, or at
work, it was a perpetually renewed effort on their part to lengthen by a
pull the scanty covering hanging over their breasts. Gathered about the
waist is the other garment, the skirt, extending to the feet and often
touching the ground. This is usually made of some dark colored calico or
gingham. The cord by which the petticoat is fastened is often drawn so
tightly about the waist that it gives to that part of the body a rather
uncomfortable appearance. This is especially noticeable because the
shirt is so short that a space of two or more inches on the body is left
uncovered between it and the skirt. I saw no woman wearing moccasins,
and I was told that the women never wear them. For head wear the women
have nothing, unless the cotton cloth, or small shawl, used about the
shoulders in cool weather, and which at times is thrown or drawn over
the head, may be called that. (Fig. 63.)

Girls from seven to ten years old are clothed with only a petticoat
and boys about the same age wear only a shirt. Younger children are,
as a rule, entirely naked. If clothed at anytime, it is only during
exceptionally cool weather or when taken by their parents on a journey
to the hom