elk tooth dress

[wyo_rose]

That was me who suggested the "bucktoothed" way. I was thinking about these plastic teeth that I saw years ago that really didn't have a front or back. But I don't want anyone looking all somehow.

I should add that I've never made an elk tooth dress, I'm not Crow, and the dress that I was talking about that my gma made was NOT in the Crow style, and that the one I have in my mind to make someday is not either.

There's some nice pics of older Crow dresses with real teeth online. When looking for some newer style dresses I found this cool pic. Check out these guys:

[neling4]

That pink one is so pretty!

[wyo_rose]

I think that's our own Bushybraids and is that Bux on the tailgate?

I love this pic and the dresses run the colors of the rainbow...so to speak.

[neling4]

They are all pretty. It must take a while to get all those teeth just right.

[rodond]

any suggestion on making the dress how many teeth etc

[SuzzeQ4]

thats a beautiful picture.

[tribaltagz]

When we buy for our family we buy 500 teeth or thereabouts. There isn't a hard and fast rule on how many go on a dress. In the old days it was a sign of wealth and so you put on what you had.

[WhoMe]

any suggestion on making the dress how many teeth etc

365. One for each day of the year..... *L

Oh and being an environmental culture. Only take what you need and let the elk go....

*L

[tribaltagz]

Lol!

Lot of toothless elk running through the woods!

[rodond]

who me are you getting this mixed up with a jingle dress?

[WhoMe]

who me are you getting this mixed up with a jingle dress?

ro,

Naw. It was just a parody of the popular yet untrue belief associated with the jingle dress.

[rodond]

as was talk about earlier with right to wear a elk tooth dress how do the Commache/Kiowa believe on this

[buckskin pantyhose]

Stained Teeth Alert!

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to add my tooth cents here...aaaaye! (I know i'm cheesy!) A few years ago I made an elktooth dress using the stained teeth from Buffalo Chips. They looked really good, but made a mess of my dress! I'm sure it was my fault because I didn't pre-soak them or put a finish on them before I attached them to my dress BUT as soon as moisture (Humidity, sweat, etc) got to them, the brown rubbed off and bled into my fabric creating a light stained circle on my dress :O
I took all the teeth off and had my dress drycleaned. They cleaned it at least 4 times and weren't able to completely remove the stain but removed enough so that when i put the teeth back on you couldn't see the spots. I soaked the teeth and they faded significantly but i was okay with that.

my suggestion...treat your teeth!! Soak em, put a finish on em, do something if you get stained teeth.

We get all of our teeth at Buffalo Chips as well and i love the resin teeth, i think they look really good.

Thanks for showing off our picture by the way!! That was a taken at Crow Fair 2007 i think "The Old Elk Girls" :)

[WhoMe]

as was talk about earlier with right to wear a elk tooth dress how do the Commache/Kiowa believe on this

I just did a workshop on Plains women's dresses this past weekend.

Both the Kiowa and Comanche were originally Northern Plains and Plateau tribes. While in the northern part of what is now the United States, elk were plentiful. The Kiowa once lived in the area of the Crow near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River. So it is only natural that they used elk's teeth on their buckskin dresses.

The elk has two teeth that are ivory. It is these two teeth that have particular value. Like the Crow, a dress adorned with elk's teeth had great value.

As both the Comanche and Kiowa migrated to the southern plains, elk herds were well on their way of becoming depleted in their new homelands. The use of elk's teeth on dresses were replaced by cowrie shells which are similar in size.

In contemporary times imitation elk's teeth dresses are reappearing at least among the Kiowa.

[Chilimama]

Well, my opinion is that I would think you would have to have the right to wear that kind of dress be it northern or southern style. People seem to copy triibal cultures (dress styles mostly) with no regard as what it means to the tribes or the meaning behind the style of dresses they are copying.