Chief Tanaghte by Cornelius Krieghoff, c. 1848 61k Moccasins Moccasins were the characteristic footwear of the First Nations. The flexibility of these soft-soled shoes enabled people to wear snowshoes, which allowed them to move quietly across the land, and to step into a birch bark canoe without damaging it. Decorations and cut-out patterns on moccasins sometimes indicated the wearer's clan or community. The moccasin is a shoe in which the soft sole and the upper are one continuous piece of material. Most one-piece moccasins typically have a back and centre-front seam. Two-piece moccasins have an apron (vamp) inserted at the top of the foot. For both types, cuffs and collars can be either attached or part of the pattern. Continue >>