Boots

Item number A2.565 c-d from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Pair of men’s outer boots (part c-d) made of caribou skin with the fur on the outside. The leg portion of the boots is made with the white belly fur of the caribou. The shoe portion of the boots are made with brown fur. The boots reach just below the knee and have a casing at the top through which a plaited cord is strung and can be tied at the back.

History Of Use

Between inner and outer boots an ankle high sock of caribou, duck or loon skin could be worn. Over the outer boot an ankle high shoe of waterproof dehaired sealskin could be worn.
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.