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This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Description

Man’s outer coat, or parka, of brown caribou fur, with a rounded close-fitting hood, with white fur trim. Coat is thigh length; the back is slightly rounded and longer and front has a slit in the middle. Bottom of coat is outlined with a white band of fur that goes up the slit in the front accentuating it. Fringes of white fur are attached to the bottom of this border. The sleeves are trimmed with a narrow strip of white fur. In the middle of the back of the coat a horn toggle is attached.

History Of Use

Coats of this type with a slit in the front were worn towards the end of the 19th century and in the 20th century by the Nunatsiarmiut of Baffin Island. This coat was worn by men over an inner coat. The toggle on the back was used to hold a bag containing small hunting tools. The insulating capability of animal skins is enhanced by the practice of wearing two layers of skin clothing, especially in winter. One layer of clothing is worn with the fur on the inside and a second layer is worn with the fur on the outside. The clothing also is designed so as to minimize ingress of wind and cold. During winter men and women wear two hooded waist-length coats, two pairs of trousers, two pairs of stockings and boots, and mittens. Men often wear a longer, heavier outer coat when outdoors in winter. While mass-produced clothing from the south is now commonly worn, the making of skin clothing is being revived in the Arctic. In the Arctic, the making of clothing is considered as important as the creation of sacred objects. Aside from its important function as protection against the cold, clothing is imbued with power and spirituality. Women as seamstresses play an extremely important role in the expression of cultural value and meaning. The clothing of each group is cut and decorated according to distinctive cultural aesthetics. In addition to expressing the group’s identity, seamstresses express the beliefs and values of the group through clothing, which marks social identities like gender, age, childbearing status, and geographical origin. Clothing also expresses the special relationship of people in the Arctic with the animal world. People, animals, and spirits are subject to metamorphosis. Clothing often refers to this ability to transform, and could effect such a metamorphosis.

Specific Techniques

The pieces are sewn together with an overcast stitch.

Iconographic Meaning

Historically fringes were not allowed near the sea, because they would remind Sedna, the sea goddess, of her lost fingers.

Narrative

Pierce donated this collection to the UBC Geology Museum in 1932, from which it transferred to the newly-opened Museum of Anthropology in 1948. Michell Pierce put together this collection of examples of Copper Inuit clothing and implements, while working in the area for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Before going to the area, he interviewed Dean Brock and M.Y. Williams about the possibility of collecting for UBC while there. This was the second collection he assembled, as the first was lost when the ship carrying the materials was caught in the ice.

Item History

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