Yakama two-hide dress, ca. 1860

In the current exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian, visitors can see Identity by Design: Tradition, Change, and Celebration in Native Women’s Dresses, a show indicative of the NMAI’s effectiveness in using creative museum techniques.

The exhibition, of course, is about cultural traditions. It features some 55 dresses and more than 200 accessories, all of which are meant to express the depth and development of Native women’s identities.

For example, the various cuts of the dresses can point to a tribe’s way of life. The side-fold dress was easier to walk in and used by more agricultural tribes, while the two- and three-hide dresses had skirts which were more practical for mobile tribes who spent more time on horseback.

The women could also use their dresses to express her family’s identity.

“It’s as if the woman is here herself,” guide Lee Showa said. “By decorating the dress with hunting prizes, she can make a statement about how good of a hunter her husband is. Or she can say something about her family’s wealth as well.”