ID Number

Title

Item Name

Culture

Material

Manufacturing Technique

Date Made

Place Made

Date Collected

Date Owned

Owner

Acquisition Date

Source

Measurements

Item Classes

Condition

Current Location

Accession Number

Cultural Context

clothing

Specific Techniques

The pieces are sewn together with an overcast stitch.

Description

Pair of mittens (part a-b) made of caribou skin with the fur on. One mitten is slightly larger (part a) than the other (part b). The mittens are each made of three pieces of fur from the leg skins of the caribou. One piece forms the back of the mitten, a second piece forms the upper palm and inside of the thumb while the third piece forms the lower palm and other half of the thumb. Another piece of white caribou fur is added to form the cuffs. The wrist cuffs are short and attached with the hair to the inside and folded over so the hair also shows on the outside. The mittens are kept together with a black cord through the cuffs.

History Of Use

Mittens were worn in one or two layers. Usually one layer was considered adequate and less clumsy. Caribou leg skin was preferred for winter because the shorter hairs prevent moisture build-up. The mittens are constructed so that the area where the greatest wear and tear occurs, notably the thumbs, is seamless.
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.

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.