
Men sometimes wore only a breech-clout of deerskin or cloth. These were said to be quite long. Men also wore skin shirts or “jackets,” beaded moccasins of buckskin or bison hide, and leggings, belts, garters, and robes of bison hide. Tonkawa men wore earrings or necklaces of bones, shells, or of shell. The men wore their hair long and parted in the middle; they also braided it with cloth or wrapped it in strips of fur.

Few descriptions of women’s clothing are extant. The Tonkawa women wore little clothing, a small piece of deerskin which served as a skirt was the only article of clothing worn. However, some had an additional piece of hide draped about their shoulders. The skirts worn by the younger women had tinkling ornaments attached to the hem. In later times the women wore woolen blankets, a cloth dress, and skin moccasins.
Women parted their hair in the middle and wore it sometimes long, sometimes short. Paint was applied in black stripes to the mouth, nose, and back. On each breast black strips were painted in concentric circles extending from the nipple to the base of the breast. Women also tattooed themselves with charcoal and with various colored ingredients. Apparently they wore fewer ornaments than the men, earring and elaborate shell necklaces being the only articles noted.