Evening star., 1904-03-12
DRESS OF THE EsQUIMAU.
Made by the Women From the Skins of
Northern Animals


From the American Tailor and Cutter.
The chief material of the clothing of the
Esquimau is the skin of the reindeer, which
is used in, various stages of pelage or tam
ming. Fine, short-haired summer skins. es-
pecially those of does and fawns, are used
for making dress garments and under
clothes. The heaviest winter skins furnish
extra warm jackets for cold weather. The
white spotted skins Of the tame Siberian
reindeer are especially valued for full dress
jackets.
The skins of the white mountain sheep,
white and blue fox, wolf dog, ermine and
lynx are sometimes made into clothing. In
derjackets of elder duck skins are of en-
pressed into service. Sealskin dressed with
, the hair on is used only for breecheS and
boots, and for those rarely. OF late years
drilling and calico have been introduced
into the makeup of some of the minor gar
ments.
The dress of the men consists of loose
hooded frock. without opening except at
the neck and wrists. This reaches just over
the hips, and very rarely to m d-thigh,
where it is cut off square and usually con-
fined by a girdle at the waist. Under this
garment is worn a similar one of lighter
skin and sometimes without a hood. The
thighs are clad in one or two pairs of tight
fitting knee breeches. rather loose but fitted
to the shape of the leg. They are very low
in front, but are much higher behind some
times high as the small of the b ok.
They are held in place by a girdle or thong
around the waist, and are usually fasten 7d
below the knee, over the boo s, with a draw
string.
On the legs and feet are worn. first a
pair of long deerSkin stockings with the
hair inside, then slippers of tanned seal
skin. in the. bottom of which is spread a
layer of whalebone shavings, and outside a
pair of. close-fitting boots, held in place by
string around the ankle, which reaches
above the knee and ends with a rough edge
covered by the breeches. Dress boots often
end in an ornamental border with draw
string just below the knee. The boots are
of reindeer skin. with white sealskn soles
for winter and dry weather; but in summer
waterproof boots of white whaleskin are
worn Overshoes of the same material.
reaching just above the ankles, are some
times worn over the winter boo.s.
The women wear tight-fitting deerskin
pantaloons with the hair next the skin and
outside OF these similar pair, made of the
skins from deer legs, with the hair out, and
having soles of sealskin, but no ankle
strings The women's pantaloons, like those
of the men, are fastened with a girde just
above the hips 1t appears that they do not
stay up very well, as the women are con-
tinually hitching them up and tightening
| their girdies, like some old sailor
Until they reach manhood the boys wear
pantaloons like the women but their Jack
cts are cut just like those of the men.
The well-to-do Equimaux generally own
several complete suits of clothes and pre-
sent a neat appearance when not engaged
in dirty work. The poorer cl4sses wear
one suit for all occasions until 1t becomes
shabby. New clothes are seldom put on
till winter. The outer frock is not often
worn in the iglu, or hut home, being US
ually taken off before entering the room.
At present there is no such thing as an
Esquimaux tailor, for the women of each
Esquimau household usually make the gar
ments of all the members of the family
Not only this, but the Esquimaux are ex-
tremely conservative in the matter of
changes in the style of their raiment, and
respond very slowly to the undermining in
fuences in this particular which have
reached their neighborhood.