Sealskin. Classic Blue is always popular, “Blue goes really well in the seal,” says Great Greenland’s CEO Ditte Sorknæs, but the Neon Green … well … it’s 30% off. Notice how the skin is dyed so you can still see the spots. “We are quite proud of this,” says Ditte, “to keep the orginal pattern…
What do you wear to get outside? Hunter Jeremiah Awa shows us his kit: a mix of homemade and store bought. These layers kept him warm during a two week hunting trip for caribou to share with his community. The homemade parka and seal mittens are very warm, but still . . . this is…
Form meets function. These what you need to survive on the ice. These ‘boots’ are made by Joanna Kunnuk. Some would call her a seamstress; I think of her as an engineer. I’m wearing two layers of warm booties under this fur, one with a legging that comes up over my knees. (I’ve never had…
The handmade tools to make the handmade clothing from the collection of skilled craftsperson Joanna Kunnuk. #meetthenorth #lindbladexpeditions #arctic #clothing #tools #fur #skins #pondinlet #nunavut #tradition
A true craftsperson, Joanna Kunnuk, gives us a tour of her work. Here you can see the detail in a pair of caribou pants. She explains that her craft is a mix of store bought and traditional materials and emphasizes that fur and skins are what keep people alive, even today. By making clothes for…
(Post 4 of 6) This traditional West Greenlandic outfit is over 50 years old. Makka wore it when she was two years old. Embroidery, lace, beadwork, seal skin.
(Post 5 of 6) Tuku’s mother wore these beads at her wedding. They are part of the traditional West Greenlandic dress. The beads should be the right length, and the colours are significant too. This one has too much blue for Tuku to wear now but she said, “Maybe I can wear them when I…
(Post 6 of 6) The evening culminated here. By now it is after 10 pm and we have pulled out all of the family’s traditional clothing. Axel’s polar bear pants and kamiit, Tuku’s first fox fur jacket, and now this. Tuku wears a sealskin amaut made for her mother by a woman in Qaanaaq when…