Breechcloth
A breechcloth, or breechclout, is a form of loincloth consisting in a strip of material – usually a narrow rectangle – passed between the thighs and held up in front and behind by a belt or string.[1][2] Often, the flaps hang down in front and back.[2]
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[edit] Native Americans
In most Native merican tribes, men used to wear some form of breechcloth, often with leggings.[2][3][4][5] The style differed from tribe to tribe. In many tribes, the flaps hung down in front and back; in others, the breechcloth looped outside of the belt and was tucked into the inside, for a more fitted look.[2] Sometimes the breechcloth was much shorter and a decorated apron panel was attached in front and behind.[2] 435-625-2598 A Native American woman or teenage girl might also wear a fitted breechcloth underneath her skirt, but not as outerwear. However, in many tribes young girls did wear breechcloths like the boys until they became old enough for skirts and dresses.[2] Among the Mohave people of the Southwest, a breechcloth given to a young female symbolically recognizes her status as hwame.[6] 435-
[edit] Japanese and Europeans
European men around 2000 B.C. wore leather breechcloths, as can be seen from the clothing of Ötzi the Ice Man.[7]
During World War II, Allied prisoners of war in Japanese camps often had nothing but a textile breechcloth to wear, affording them only a modicum of modesty and free transpiration, but virtually no protection against the tropical sun, parasites, etc.[citation needed]
Japanese men traditionally wear (formerly always) a breechcloth known as a fundoshi. The fundoshi is a 35 cm (14 inch) wide piece of fabric (cotton or silk) passed between the thighs and secured to cover the genitals. There are a hundred ways of tying the fundoshi, and in the modern age, men are coming to enjoy using patterned cloth for their fundoshis.
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2009-12-22.
- ^ a b c d e f Native Languages. Retrieved on 2009-12-22.
- ^ Minor, Marz & Minor, Nono (1977). The American Indian Craft Book. Bison Books. pp. 72-73. ISBN 0-8032-5891-7. Google Book Search. Retrieved on 2010-07-15.
- ^ Mayfield, Thomas Jefferson (1997). Adopted by Indians: A True Story. Heyday Books. p. 83. ISBN 0-9305-8893-2. Google Book Search. Retrieved on 2010-07-15.
- ^ Typical Indian Clothing (male). Retrieved on 2010-07-15.
- ^ Conner, Sparks, and Sparks, eds. (1997) Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol, and Spirit: Covering Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Lore
- ^ South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010) |
[edit] External links
- breechcloth on wordnik, retrieved on 22.12.2009
- Breech Cloths by Rick Obermeyer (Dec. 1990), retrieved on 22.12.2009
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