What did the Algonquin Indians look like and what did they wear?

Answer 1

The Algonquin or Algonkin tribe were a relatively small group living in southern Quebec and eastern Ontario in Canada. Their Mohawk enemies called them Adirondack (eaters of bark - a term of contempt). Their own name for themselves is Anishinaabe.

They have been used as a "typical" example of a huge related language group known as Algonquian (with an "a") - the group includes the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Blackfoot on the plains and a very large number of tribes in the midwest and eastern woodlands of the USA and Canada.

The Canadian Algonkin wore typical brain-tanned animal skins, often deer, elk or moose hides; men wore a breechclout and moccasins with a fur cloak for cool weather; some added leggings.

Women had just a skirt, or a skirt and cloak, or a dress worn belted around the waist. On their heads they sometimes wore a cap or headband. They carried heavy loads on their backs using a "tumpline" around their foreheads.

Women wore their hair in a long braid; men might shave one side of their head, leaving the hair on the other side long and loose, or any one of many other styles. Tattoos and body painting were very common.

The tribe was known for its bark canoes, basket-weaving and beadwork, as well as wampum belts of purple and white shell beads that took immense amounts of time and effort to produce.

See link below for an early painting of Algonkins: