Tear dress

Cherokee girls dressed in tear dresses for choir concert

Not to be confused with the "tears dress" created by designer Elsa Schiaparelli.

A tear dress is a long dress made of calico worn by Oklahoma Cherokee women.^[1][2][3][4]

The tear dress is the official dress of the Cherokee Nation.^[5] Based on a historical dress carried to Indian Territory over the Trail of Tears, the tear dress was first designed in 1969 by Wendell Cochran (Cherokee Nation) and sewn by Elizabeth Higgins (Cherokee Nation) for Virginia Stroud (Keetoowah Cherokee/Muscogee) when she successfully ran for Miss Indian America.^[5]

References

1. Morrison, Janet (2014). The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Arcadia Publishing. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-4396-4689-2.
2. Gaines, Richard (2000). The Cherokee. ABDO. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-57765-377-6.
3. Nelson, Kristen Rajczak (2017). The Trail of Tears: A Journey of Loss. Greenhaven Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-5345-6136-6.
4. Coleman, Travina (February 4, 2008). "Cherokee tear dresses, a passion". Muskogee Phoenix. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
5. Dittman, Whitney. "Traditional dress, iconic symbol". Anadisgoi. No. Summer/Fall 2018. Cherokee Nation. pp. 35–36. Retrieved 25 July 2023.