Ever since discovering the Bata Shoe Museum, I've become obsessed with native styled footwear. They specialize in native wear which would mean the footwear used by the natives in their various regions before being exposed to "western technology". This also means you wont find this footwear available for purchase in any store as it was handmade using traditional methods - using the hide from the bison that was hunted to provide sustenance to the tribe, made by hand, for the toughest winter conditions (anywhere from the great plains to the high arctic). There is a company that has captured some the essence of these native traditions - Steger Mukluks. Check them out and I think you'll agree!