The cream-coloured fur on the back of the mitt flows downward so that snow can easily be brushed away. Their territories extend from north of Igluligaarjuk, south to the treeline that at the coast reaches the Manitoba border, and from Hudson Bay in the east to Ennadai Lake and Dubawnt Lake and River in the west.
The style of these mitts suggests that they date to the early 20th century - a time when the Kivalliq Inuit lived mainly in the interior, depending on caribou, musk-oxen and fish. In the s the Canadian government encouraged the Kivalliq Inuit to move to the coast and live in settlements, and these became permanent hamlets.
The Kivalliq Inuit are made up of several independent groups, each with its own particularities in clothing. The Qaernermiut Dwellers of the Flat Land inhabited the region north of Igluligaarjuk where the mitts were collected.
The upper of these kamiik are made of ringed seal, fur outside. The instep is made of depilated ringed seal. The boots are designed to be worn with alersiik stockings , which are made of heavy caribou skin, fur to the inside.
There is also a matching set of ilupirquk slippers , which cover the foot of the stocking and are composed of ringed seal skin. This set of footwear comes from Ikpiarjuk Arctic Bay, Nunavut , situated in the northern part of the territories of the Iglulingmiut. This pair of boots, along with its matching stockings and slippers, was made around This small community is situated on the north end of Qikiqtaaluk Baffin Island.
Arthur Schwartz ME These short boots are made with dehaired sealskin and have a cuff of young seal fur. The instep and upper are made of untanned skin, thus improving the waterproof quality. Sewn with sinew, the sole is attached to the upper with the waterproof stitch ilujjiniq. According to the ethnologist Dr. Garth Taylor, the boots could have come from the Nunatsiavut Labrador Inuit , although they did not typically make and wear short boots.
Waterproof boots with a high back heel like these are also found in the Salluit area and in other parts of the Eastern Arctic, as indicated by Dr. Asen Balikci. Seamstresses in Newfoundland are recorded as producing such footwear from as early as the s and continue to make these boots today. This pair probably dates from around Perhaps they were made for the donor's husband, Dr. Arthur Schwartz, who obtained them some time before These short boots, probably for a girl, are made of depilated sealskin and sewn with sinew.
The upper is made of white, freeze-dried, sealskin. The sole comes up the sides of the foot, is pleated at toe and heel and has a layer of fur on the inside. The boot liners, or stockings, are made of tanned sealskin with the fur to the inside. Christian Leden , the Norwegian anthropologist who collected the boots, probably obtained them in West Kalaallit Nunaat. Leden went to Kalaallit Nunaat in to record music and songs as well as to film the Inuit.
These boots were collected in ; however, the Kalaallit still use this pattern to make waterproof sealskin boots. Short white or red-dyed sealskin boots were worn exclusively by Kalaallit women.
By examining historic photographs we know that the colour white was favoured by young women, and red was more frequently seen among elder women. Walter Molson ME These elaborately constructed woman's boots showcase the technical and aesthetic skills of the Inuit.
The tops of the boots are designed to give width over the hips and to enhance the appearance by juxtaposing light and dark skins. The seamstress has also inserted narrow strips of stroud of many hues into the seams and at times has used pukiq. In both places Inuit women wore boots that expanded over the hip and tucked into the trousers. These boots were donated to the McCord Museum in by Mr. Percy Noad.
They were probably made sometime prior to that date. It was in the first quarter of the 20th century that trading ships from Alaska and Qikiqtaruk Herschel Island penetrated the area, making foreign materials available. The Kivalliq Inuit live in territories that border in the west on Yukon, Nunavut, and on the lands of the Inuvialuit. Sutherland - Don de Mrs. Margaret D. Sutherland ME The crescent-shaped steel blade of this ulu is bevelled on one side.
Such an ulu will not cut into the skin during the scraping and cleaning procedures," explained Jeela Alikatuktuk Moss-Davies, past-president of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada.
The blade is likely attached to the ivory handle with glue that is a mixture of seal's blood, a kind of clay and dog's hair. Constable Forbes D. Sutherland collected this ulu at Qikiqtaruk Herschel Island in the Yukon. This is an early style ulu, as the blade is set directly into the handle without a stem. It probably dates to the turn of the 19th century because Forbes Sutherland served with the North West Mounted Police on Qikiqtaruk Herschel Island from to , during which time he collected Inuit objects.
The ulu was made by the Inuvialuit, the Inuit living in the western Canadian Arctic. Their homeland stretches from the Alaskan border east to Amundsen Gulf and the western edge of the Canadian Arctic Islands. The three uniform holes drilled through the blade of this ulu indicate that it was adapted from a saw obtained from explorers.
This ulu has an oblong, decorated, ivory handle. The brass tang is glued into the base of the handle and is attached to the steel blade by a single rivet. The blade is semi-lunar with a straight top edge and sharpened on one side only. The style of an ulu can indicate where it comes from. The right-angled top edge of this ulu's blade, with its deep semi-lunar shape, and the two-piece handle tells us that it probably comes from Qikiqtaaluk Baffin Island , Nunavut, inhabited by the Nunatsiarmiut in the southern part or by the Iglulingmiut, who live in the northwestern areas.
The ulu has been in use by Inuit people for thousands of years. This ulu is representative of one of the styles developed by the beginning of the 20th century. The motifs on this ulu's handle - the cross with splayed blades and the floral pattern - are found on objects in both Qikiqtaaluk and Siberia. Passed on through the millennia and across the vast spaces of the Arctic, these motifs are part of the rich heritage preserved by Inuit, among them the Nunatsiarmiut and Iglulingmiut peoples.
Robert McGhee, Canadian Museum of Civilization, confirmed that this small ulu is typical of those used by the Kilusiktormiut to cut and trim skins. The tang fits into the handle by a mortise joint and the metal blade is held to the tang by three rivets. Both the handle and tang are made of antler. The blade is sharpened on both sides. A bear tooth, used to sharpen the blade, is attached by braided sinew singait. The territory of the Kilusiktormiut encompasses both sides of Coronation Gulf - north to Victoria Island and the south coast of Banks Island, and south to the rivers that lead to Qurluqtuuq Coppermine and Umingmaktuuq Bay Chimo.
Members of the Canadian Arctic Expedition - the southern party was led by Diamond Jenness - visited the region from to Many artifacts collected either as gifts or through trade by this and other expeditions were deposited in museums around the world.
A Kilusiktormiut hunter likely made this ulu and blade sharpener for his wife. While travelling in his Central Arctic hunting grounds, he may have met Inuit from regions to the east and west.
He may have come by the Siberian motifs used in this ulu from the Inupiat and Yup'ik in Alaska, or from the Inuvialuit living in Avvaq or Qikiqtaruk. This scraper consists of an ivory handle, a collar of old ivory affixed to the underside, possibly of mammoth bone, and a slate blade that has been glued into the handle. The handle is carefully carved to fit the user's hand. The scraper was collected by Forbes D.
It is typical of those found in the western Canadian Arctic and in Alaska. However, the polish and signs of wear on this scraper lead us to believe that it was made and used some time before Constable Forbes obtained it.
The forebears of the Inuvialuit shared their economy, their technology and their culture with the North Alaskan Inupiat, with whom they mixed and traded. The bone used to make this awl has been polished and rounded to make a comfortable fit for the user's hand, coming to a fairly sharp point that can pierce a tough hide. The type of bone - whether seal, caribou, bear, or the tusk of a narwhal or walrus - is not known. This awl is akin to those created by the Yup'ik men of southwestern Alaska.
They took delight in depicting mythological creatures such as the seal, fish and weasel-like creatures on this awl. Although awls can be traced back to prehistoric eras, this example dates to the early 20th century. Siberians and Alaskans traded objects of material culture, leading to shared design elements.
The style of this awl indicates that it was made by a Yup'ik person from southwestern Alaska. This region is a coastal tundra dominated by large river systems. The men who carved and decorated the tools used the regional flora and fauna in their imaginative designs. O'Neill MEX. This needlecase is made from a caribou bone that has been split, hollowed, trimmed and polished. A strip of dehaired hide passes through the case in which is inserted a metal needle. The bone spatula, attached by braided sinew singait , could be used to obtain marrow or as a boot creaser.
A bone thimble and thimble guard are also suspended by sinew. This needlecase was probably collected among the Kilusiktormiut, formerly known as the Copper Inuit. Their territories encompass the vast areas on both sides of Coronation Gulf, Nunavut.
O'Neill , the collector, served with the Southern Party of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, which explored the Kilusiktormiut areas from to The high polish on this case could be due not only to the weathering process but also to many years of use.
The ornamental designs made by the Kilusiktormiut hunter on this needlecase are evocative of the earlier Paleo-Eskimo tradition of arrow-like shapes, triangles and parallel lines. This decoration attests to the fidelity of the Inuit to their cultural heritage, passed from parents to children over millennia. A caribou toe-bone has been hollowed, shaped and polished to make this thimble. It is open-ended, unclosed on one side and triangular in shape. Etched lines encircle the thimble, and a band of vertical lines runs around the base.
A dark pigment pressed into the graving makes the design more visible. The donor, Dr. The expedition was the first group of outsiders to make contact with the Kilusiktormiut, who inhabit the area around Qurluqtuuq. This thimble was made and used by a member of the Kilusiktormiut, who inhabit the area around Qurluqtuuq. While out on the land, men will take along a sewing kit that includes a thimble by storing it in their quiver or rifle case. The bag and its lid are made up of narrow, folded strips of tanned, dehaired and coiled sealskin stitched with sinew.
Between the sealskin strips run welts of untanned dark sealskin. Carrying straps are sewn to each side of the bag at the top. They are held together by a handsome ivory handle incised with the circle and dot motif. It is difficult to pinpoint the origin of the bag since we have no information about the donor.
The style of decoration resembles that on bags made by Eskimos on St. In the s the Russians established a trading post near the Bering Strait, visited yearly by Chukchi and Inuit traders. The latter would bring back artifacts and then pass them on through their own trade networks. The Russians prohibited travel between the continents after their revolution in , so this bag must have been purchased in the late 19th or early 20th century. An Alaskan or Siberian craftsperson probably made this bag, which was subsequently bought or traded, eventually entering the collection of the McCord Museum.
Lucy Meeko ME The amauti is made of heavy caribou skin, fur to the outside. The girl's future role as a mother is foretold by the qaksungauti , the hide girdle surrounding the waist that goes under the amaut , the baby pouch on the back, to support the child. This belt is looped through a V-shaped strap that descends from the neck. The artisan who fashioned this amauti came from Kuujjaraapik, Nunavik. The very large hood, rounded side bulges for the amaut, curved indentations of the long akuq back flap , and shorter flap at the front are all features of Nunavimiut clothing.
Lucy Meeko designed the pattern for and made the girl's amauti during a demonstration of Inuit sewing at the McCord Museum in Lucy Meeko was born in and died in in a tragic fire that also claimed her husband. She was one of the North's most accomplished seamstresses as well as a distinguished artist whose paintings and carvings are in many museum and private collections.
John A. Grose MEX. Once the sinew strands ivaluit are split from the tendon and processed, they are put into a sewing bag and kept in a cool place so as not to dry out completely. Sometimes the seamstress makes up a braided bunch two and a half centimetres thick, as in this cluster, so that she can keep the filaments untangled and proceed more quickly with her sewing.
The collector, John A. Grose, obtained the bundle of sinew in Point Barrow, on the north coast of Alaska at the Beaufort Sea and near the territories of the Utqiagvimiut.
It is difficult to date the sinew but judging from its appearance and from the many objects in the John Grose Collection of the McCord Museum, we postulate a date of late 19th or early 20th century. The Inupiaq at Point Barrow could have acquired the sinew from their trading partners, the interior North Alaska Inupiaq. After the caribou drive most interior Inupiaq would travel north by dogsled to meet the Utqiagvigmiut at the coast.
There they traded their caribou skins, sinew and other products for seal oil and skins, ivory, and additional marine products. This drawing illustrates the ilujjiniq , or waterproof stitch. Traditionally, the stitches are made with sinew. More recently, synthetic sinew and sometimes dental floss have replaced sinew.
Waterproof stitching is an integral part of the complex Inuit clothing found across the circumpolar Arctic in Siberia, North America, Kalaallit Nunaat and Saamiland formerly known as Lapland. Waterproof stitching has been used by the Inuit for thousands of years.
Excavations at Ellesmere Island in Nunavut produced clothing from the Thule people dating to about CE, which included a waterproof coat made of sea mammal intestines showing much in common with Inuit gutskins of the 21st century. Inuit seamstresses and their ancestors performed their "magic" on skins to produce windproof and waterproof clothing. The illustration of waterproof stitches presented here was drawn by Anne MacKay, the McCord Museum's chief conservator. LeMans ME The sampler is made of seal or walrus skin freeze-dried and has a cotton-fibre backing sewn with black thread.
The applied skin mosaic is in many colours: green, red, gold, blue, purple, pink and ochre. Plant life has supplied dyes for the Kalaallit who obtain, for example, tones of red from the alder tree or washed-up spruce trees. Lichen, moss, berries and pond algae also produce colours.
Samplers and clothing with skin mosaic patterns have been described by ethnographers, artists and other researchers. Skin mosaic decoration is found in East and West Kalaallit Nunaat - it is often possible to learn from the pattern the locale of origin.
This sampler is estimated to have been made in about to However, in the second half of the 20th century, samplers developed into actual belts that were in demand for sale to tourists and non-Inuit visitors who brought them home as souvenirs. Mosaic patterns were handed down within the family and are unique for the garment and for the age and sex of the wearer. Here, a Kalaallit seamstress and her family are identified as the originators of the designs.
This man's qulittuq is made of the dark brown caribou skins gathered in the summer before the autumn rain. The hood roots, representing walrus tusks, are distinguished from the parka front by the upward flow of their fur. A ruff of wolverine fur frames the face. The parka was collected by Forbes D. Constable Forbes collected the qulittuq when on a tour of duty with the North West Mounted Police from to An Inuvialuit seamstress made this parka.
This qulittuq and qarliik parka and trousers shows a functional excellence of Inuit clothing manufacture that has rarely been equalled. The qulittuq hood, made from the caribou's headskin, fits closely to the face to prevent heat escape and to allow clear vision even if the head is turning.
The shoulders are large so that the arms can be drawn inside for warmth and to allow for the hunter's expansive movements. Certain stylistic elements of this parka and trousers, in particular the spacing of the fringes, suggest that it may have been collected at Nulahugiuq Bernard Harbour in the Dolphin and Union Strait area, Nunavut.
The Kilusiktormiut remained isolated from non-Inuit until the beginning of the 20th century. This outfit, which dates to around that time, documents a style of clothing that exists now only in museum collections. Kilusiktormiut men wore garments like these. A man might wear a parka with decorative fringes and large chest panels in the dance-house and for ceremonial occasions. This man's parka qulittuq and trousers qarliik are made from the skin of young ringed seal, fur to the outside.
The parka is straight cut, has side vents and a pointed hood. Both garments are loose-fitting to allow air circulation, thereby keeping the body cool and dry. Siasi Smiler, Kativik School Board, and Judy McGrath, editor, archivist and curator in Labrador, have identified this clothing as coming from Qikiqtaaluk due to the pointed hood, straight-cut edge and side vents. These garments appear to have been made specifically for Dr. William Wakeham in , the date when he commanded an expedition to the Arctic.
Wakeham learned from the Nunatsiarmiut how best to survive in the Arctic, including what to wear. A photograph in the collection of Library and Archives Canada shows him dressed in this clothing. William Wakeham had this outfit made for him while he was commander of the S. Diana for Marine and Fisheries Canada.
Fairbanks et Mr. This amauti is made of the skin of young ringed seal, fur to the inside. These seals, three to six months old, have thick, soft, silver-tipped hair and are favoured for garments where the fur faces inward. Outlining the face and wrists are narrow bands from the dark skin of adult ringed seal. This amauti has been identified by Siasi Smiler, Kativik School Board, as coming from the Qikiqtaaluk due to the style of the pointed hood, squared kiniq apron and akuq tail.
This amauti was collected by Dr. William Wakeham in , although it incorporates older items. The American coins date from to The beads on the amauti feature the beautiful bead called Cornaline d'Aleppo that appeared in the Arctic early in the s, mainly via Hudson's Bay Company supply ships.
It is not known whether the Nunatsiarmiut seamstress from whom Dr. Wakeham acquired this amauti made it for herself or whether she inherited it from an ancestor. In any case, the seamstress was truly a talented artisan - the sinew stitches on this garment are very tiny.
This cap is made up of fine white pukiq and dark brown quirnik caribou fur strips. A wide band of pukiq surrounds the face and the soft fur of Arctic hare circles the lower edge. Midway between front and back the seamstress has inserted a band of loon skin with the head of the bird projecting upward. From the loon's beak dangles a whole ermine skin.
The style of this cap is unique to the Kilusiktormiut, whose territories span the vast lands northwest of Hudson Bay west to those of the Inuvialuit. This boot is made of heavy caribou fur. Six vertical gores of alternating light and dark fur, fur flow down, make up the leg. The top casing is of lynx, through which goes a drawstring of singait braided sinew. The drawstring can be loosened to allow humidity to escape or tightened to keep out wind and snow.
Boots like this one were in widespread use across the Arctic, making it difficult to pinpoint the origin of this example. We do not know exactly when this boot was acquired.
The skill involved in creating clothing from raw animal pelts, let alone the intricate designs often sewn into the clothing frequently under very harsh light and climate conditions , pay witness to the artistic abilities of Inuit seamstresses. Nick Newbery taught in several communities in Nunavut from He would like to acknowledge the assistance he received for this article from Bert Rose, northern educator and long-time resident of Nunavut.
Friday, November 12, Advertise Subscribe Contact. Sign in. Keywords: Include images of partners. When anthropologists and archeologists refer to the Inuit, they mean all the people who speak the languages of the Eskaleutian family. Political boundaries in these regions are relatively recent. Inuit clothing was remarkably similar in construction throughout the approximately 6, kilometres of the circumpolar region. It consisted of a coat, trousers, mitts and boots.
Caribou, seal and marine birds were the main sources of material for the lightweight clothing which was sewn with sinew. Garments were tailored according to role. Women's coats had an amaut baby pouch and two apron flaps, front and back. Men's coats had roomy shoulders to facilitate hunting.
They did not have apron-like flaps, although in some regions they might have a back flap or be cut longer at the back. In winter, coat and trousers were worn in two layers. The fur of the inner layer was next to the body and the fur of the outer layer faced outwards. Double-layered clothing was ideal for regulating body temperature and humidity. In spring and summer, a single layer of clothing was worn, with the same tailoring principles in effect.
Due to climatic changes a major cooling period from A. Winters were spent on the coastal ice in pursuit of seals, which were harpooned or speared as they surfaced at their breathing holes. In spring, seals basking on surface ice were stalked and harpooned with a toggling harpoon.
Summers and early autumn were spent inland in search of caribou and fresh-water fish. For centuries, the Inuit have inhabited a barren and harsh region of the world exploiting all of nature to survive. The seal, in particular the ringed seal, provided skins for clothing and, until recently, for trade.
Sealskin was lightweight and water-repellent, making it an ideal material for summer clothing. The Inuit wore sealskin boots and mitts throughout the year, while sealskin jackets and trousers were worn in one layer in spring and summer. In certain regions, skins of birds, fish and other animals were also used for clothing. Dried grasses and mosses were placed under the foot inside the stocking to absorb perspiration and in the bottom of the amaut baby pouch as a diaper.
The Inuit of the High Arctic used driftwood or wood obtained in trade with southern neighbours to make objects of domestic use and in the construction of weapons, boats and sleds. Nothing was wasted. Rain jackets were made of seal or walrus intestine.
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