The boot moccasin
The best-known Apache footwear is the high moccasin with a turned-up toe. It is usually associated with the Western Apache, the Chiricahua and the Mescalero, and it appears often in nineteenth-century photographs and museum collections. The style is sometimes called a boot moccasin because the upper extends well above the ankle, sometimes to the knee.
Not every Apache group wore exactly this form. Peoples on the Southern Plains and in northern New Mexico, including the Plains Apache and Jicarilla, show closer ties to the moccasin styles of their neighbours. The turned-up toe is therefore best described as a common regional pattern, not a universal Apache trademark.
How the moccasin was built
Descriptions of the standard form usually include these parts:
- A sole of thick hide. The sole was commonly made from heavier, tougher hide, often rawhide, which wore better on stone and gravel than soft buckskin.
- A soft upper. The leg and upper were typically made of softer tanned hide, such as deer, which is the same material and craft discussed under Apache hide tanning.
- A turned-up toe. The sole was extended beyond the foot and curled back over the toes, forming the flap. It was usually stitched or tied in place.
- A long leg. The upper could be worn pulled up or folded down below the knee, depending on the weather and activity.
Sinew was a common thread. Later, commercial thread and cloth sometimes appeared in the construction. The work was often done by women, though sources differ on how tasks were divided in particular families and places.
Why the design suited the terrain
The explanations most often given for the toe flap are practical. The curl is said to guard the toes from cactus, rocks and brush, and the stiff sole protects against sharp ground. The high leg shields the lower leg from thorns and scrapes, and it can be gathered at the knee. Some writers mention that the shape also helps in walking over uneven rock.
These are reasonable accounts, but they are the explanations of observers as much as documented statements from every maker. It is safer to say the design is well matched to rough country than to claim one single reason for it. The Southwest’s mountains, canyons and dry flats, which shape Apache homeland geography, are hard on feet, and the footwear reflects long experience living in that landscape.
Moccasins in motion
Footwear was an everyday tool. Soft-soled and hard-soled styles both existed, and a person might own different pairs for different tasks. Because hide wears out, moccasins were regularly repaired or replaced, which meant that skill in making them was widely valued. A reasonable inference is that knowledge was handed down within families, though specifics of teaching varied.
Decoration
Many moccasins were plain and utilitarian. Others carried added decoration. Apache beadwork appears on some later moccasins, usually from the late nineteenth century when glass beads were widely available, as do fringes and painted marks. Decoration also differed by community and period, so any single example from a museum should not be treated as typical of a whole nation.
Change over time
As cloth and store-bought shoes became available, especially in the reservation era, many people shifted to commercial footwear for daily use. Boots and shoes issued by agencies or bought at traders’ stores gradually became standard. The handmade boot moccasin did not disappear. It is still made by individuals today, and is worn at community events, in dance settings, and as part of formal or celebratory dress. Some makers sell their work, and some make pairs for family members only.
Respecting the maker
If you are looking at moccasins in a museum or buying a pair from a seller, a few points are worth knowing. Authenticity claims are not always reliable, and the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act is intended to prevent false claims that goods are made by Native artists. Buying directly from a known maker, or through a nation’s own arts channels, tends to be the most dependable route. Prices reflect hours of hide preparation and sewing.
For current information about artists and cultural events, consult the official websites of the Apache nations, since this independent site cannot speak for any of them.