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| Native Alaskan paper dolls in their historic parkas dressed for extreme temperatures. Find more native Alaskan paper dolls in color here. and See authentic indigenous doll carved by natives here. |
The native people from the far north wore clothing that was so perfectly adapted to their needs. The principal fur garments of the Eskimo were the parka — sometimes called the artega and trousers. In winter two parkas were worn, one with the fur inside and the hood edged with wolverine, and the other with the fur outside was trimmed with wolf-skin. The frost didn't form on wolverine, so that is was next to the face and troublesome icicles were avoided, while the long hair of the wolf when it blew across the face served to protect the skin from the wind. The parka was made of caribou, or reindeer skin, since it was light and warm and not so valuable in trade as the fox, bear, or marten. The fringe around the bottom is of wolverine.
The Eskimo woman must have been a very busy person. She made most of the household utensils, she helped in making the kyak or canoe by sewing together the sealskin covering with a lock-stitch, water-tight seam in which all Eskimo women were skillful. She cared for the whale-oil lamp which warmed the house and cooked the food; and that was an art in itself since it must be kept from smoking.
When the igloo was made of ice, the temperature was kept just below freezing or the walls would melt. Of course she must of cooked the food and cared for the children. There were no ready-to-wear shops in the polar country; therefore every article worn by herself or her family was sewn using an ivory needle. She kept the other women of the igloo busy, too; the old ones at chewing the reindeer sinews into long, pliant threads which did not rot in the garment, and the girls at moulding, with their teeth, leather soles for the warm boots or mukluks, which, when completed, fit their feet in a very comfortable way. The black boot soles were made deep enough to hold thick pads of dry grass. The boots and the socks worn under them in the winter were made of brown and white fawn skin taken from the leg parts of the reindeer where the hair is short and strong. Straps held the boot tightly around the ankle.
The Eskimo mother did not bother about baby clothes; for, until they were able to run about alone, the little naked babies were carried in the mother's hood next to her skin.
The straight Eskimo's hair was black and there was little opportunity for brilliant colors in your paper doll's costuming reflecting that era. Use gray and brown and black, for the furs. But the bead designs may be colored brightly for these historically accurate costumes.
More About Traditional Native Clothing:
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