Historical Changes In Caribou Inuit Men S Skin Clothing

This study offers a detailed description of historical and contemporary skin clothing production techniques used by Inuit in Coppermine, Bathurst Inlet, Cambridge Bay and Arviat.

Betty Issenman examines all aspects of winter and summer Inuit clothing, going back 4000 years, with particular emphasis on northern Canadian Inuit. She also describes the kinds of material and tools used to make the clothing. The focus is on on Inuit clothing as protection, identity, and culture bearer, roles it has played for thousands of years. No other book brings together contemporary and historical material from the circumpolar worlds with original research. Sinews of Survival is a fascinating study of Inuit clothing, past and present. It includes over 200 illustrations of various kinds of clothing. The voices of the Inuit are heard throughout the text in quotations from consultations and the literature. By describing one component of Inuit society, the author opens a pathway to understanding the culture as a whole.

This study of caribou skin clothing made by Inuit seamstresses in Coppermine, Bathurst Inlet, Cambridge Bay and Arviat, Northwest Territories, includes information collected from seamstresses as the author constructed skin clothing under their direction, and a comparison of garments made by Copper and Caribou Inuit as well as by Paallirmiut and Ahiarmiut groups. The text includes numerous clothing patterns, for parkas, mittens, stockings, pants anboots, a list of Inuit clothing terminology, an extensive bibliography and a map.

This book outlines the steps involved in creating traditional Inuit caribou skin clothing, including the hunt, preparation, and sewing, as well as historical information and insights from Elders.