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Specific Techniques

The pieces are sewn together with an overcast stitch.

Iconographic Meaning

White bands on lower arms indicate women’s use of forearms in scraping skins and sewing. Ears are often left on hood or back to maintain resemblance to animals and transfer qualities of caribou to humans. The small front flap can be read as a vulvic symbol referring to procreation and regeneration of human life. Paired narrow fringes along the tail were replaced each spring in anticipation of the return of the caribou.

Description

Women’s outer coat, or parka, of brown caribou fur with a large elongated hood. The coat has a small triangular front flap and a long rectangular back flap and very broad angular shoulders. The back of the coat is enlarged through an insertion of an elongated v-shaped piece of fur. The hemline and the hood are trimmed with white fur. Clusters of narrow fringes are attached all around the hem. Three bands of white fur are inserted on the lower front of the sleeves. In the front the sleeves are also trimmed with a narrow strip of white fur. On the top of the back four caribou ears are attached. Two long strips of white fur are attached to the tip of the second piece on the right. On the back of the right shoulder a group of three brown tassels is attached.

History Of Use

This style of clothing was in use among the Copper Inuit until the 1920’s. The absence of angular shaped white chest panels might indicate that the wearer had not yet reached adulthood. The enlarged back was used for carrying infants; wearing a belt would prevent the child from falling out. The elongated hood provided more space and air for the baby in the back pouch. 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, 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, makers 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 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.

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.