Pampootie

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Pampooties are rawhide shoes, which were formerly made and worn on the Aran Islands of County Galway, Ireland.

History

They are formed of a single piece of untanned hide folded around the foot and stitched with twine or a leather strap.[1]

Hide from the buttocks was most often used. The hair was usually left and this improved the shoe's grip.[2] The raw hide is kept flexible by use and the constant damp conditions of Western Ireland. However the shoes are not made to last. They are prone to rot and were usually kept for as little as a month or less.[3]

Pampooties are similar to the Scottish cuaran shoes, and are the precursors to ghillies, Celtic dance shoes. They are also similar in appearance to American moccasins.[2] Ancient shoes found preserved from Stone Age Europe have a similar design.[4]

The name "pampootie" is of unclear origin; it may be related to Turkish papoosh, a kind of slipper. The Aran Islanders simply called them brógaí úrleathair, "shoes of undressed leather."[5][6]

References

  1. ^ "Pampootie". Thinkquest. Archived from the original on 2011-02-27. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  2. ^ a b "Pampooties". Appin Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2010-06-10. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  3. ^ Lucas, AT (1956). "Footwear in Ireland". County Louth Archaeological Journal. 13 (4): 309–394. doi:10.2307/27728900. JSTOR 27728900. quoted in Pinhasi, R; Gasparian, B; Areshian, G; et al. (2010). "First direct evidence of chalcolithic footwear from the near eastern highlands". PLOS ONE. 5 (6): e10984. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...510984P. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010984. PMC 2882957. PMID 20543959.
  4. ^ "5,500-year leather mocassin world's oldest shoe". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  5. ^ Stitches In Time: exhibition of traditional clothing on Inis Oírr
  6. ^ "Definition of PAMPOOTIE". www.merriam-webster.com.