Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Cultural Services

Item's Choctaw Name:  Vlla I Shulush Shohala

Material: Thin, braintan hide, treated with tannic acid, braintan lacing

Dimensions:

            Foot Length = 9cm

            Total Height = 12cm

            Length of Upper = 12cm

            Height of Upper = 5cm

            Ankle Width = 7cm

Origin: Collected near Elton, MS, 1908

Current Owner:  National Museum of the American Indian, #018594.000

Location: Smithsonian Cultural Resource Center

Notes: This moccasin is made from three pieces of hide laced together with a braintan thong.  The leather is thin, and appears to have been treated with tannic acid, giving it a tight texture and reddish-brown color.  The dark stains on the hide are from the tannic acid coming in contact with iron.  The flesh side of the hide makes the inside of the moccasin. The hide pieces have undulating edges, and appear to have been cut out with a knife.  All lacings, including the one that holds the toe together, are kept from slipping through the leather by being tied in an over-hand knot.  This moccasin shows no obvious wear, however, the foot seam has popped out of the upper lacing holes.