„The blanket must give way. It is only tolerable in the rudest savage life. It is unfitted to be the garment of civilization and labor; and as the Indian is gradually brought to give up his nomadic life for one of labor and industry, the question of clothing becomes one of practical interest as bearing upon his advancement and civilization. The custom hitherto pursued has been to furnish blankets, and clothing made of cotton-warp fabrics, known in the market as "satinets" and "meltons." Clothing made of these materials is not serviceable, as the garments become threadbare with the least wear; and will rend with slight strain. In an economic point of view nothing is more useless, and, indeed, extravagant, than clothing made of these materials. We should have a uniform material, made entirely of wool – like army-cloth – for Indian clothing; and the garments should consist of a coat and pantaloons, the coat to be in shape like the old fringed rifle-coat or blouse, with a belt at the waist. The object should be to secure the comfort of the wearer and uniformity in style of clothing, so that competitors for clothing-contracts might know in advance precisely what kind of garments would be wanted for the Indian service. In this connection I would say that one Indian agent proposes to erect a woolen-mill at his agency; to enable the Indians to make their own cloth from wool of their own raising. This would be advisable if the necessary machinery to do the work were simple and inexpensive.“

Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior for the Year 1873

Text via Native American Documents Project

Image via A Gathering of Nations. Man darf sich von diesem romantischen Bild nicht täuschen lassen. Der Auftraggeber dieser Bilder Thomas Loraine McKenney war lange Zeit selbst Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Aus heutiger Sicht ist er also eher einer der Bösen.