Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-10

DRESS OF THE ESKIMO.
Made by the Women From the skins
of Northern Animals.


The chief material of the clothing OF
the Eskimo Is the skin of the renl,a,er,
which Is used in various stages of pei
age or tanning. Fine. short haired
summer skins, especially those of does
and fawns are used for making dress
garments and undercothes The hcav-
lest winter skins furnish extra warm
Jackets for cold weather The white
spotted skins of the tame Siberian rein
deer 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. Underjuckets OF cider
duck skins arc often pressed into scrv-
Ice. Sealskin dressed with the hair OH
Ii used only for brccclics ana boots.
ana for those rarely. OF late years
drilling and calico have been intro
uuccd Into the makeup Of some of the
minor garments.
The dress of the men consists of
loose hooded frock without opening ex-
cept at the neck and wrists. This
reaches just over the hips and very
rarely TO midthigh, where it Ia cut or
square and usually confined by a girdle
at the waist. Under this garment Is
Worn a similar one of lighter skin and
sometimes without Il hood The thighs
are clad In one or two pairs of tight
fitting knee brecches, rather loose, but
htted TO The shape of the leg. They are
very low in front, but are much higher
behind, sometimes as high rs the small
OF the back. They are held In place l,y
Il Glrdle or thong around the waist and
are usually fastened below the knee
over the boots with drawstring.
On the legs and feet are worn, first. II
pair OF long decrskin stockings, with
the hair inside, then slippers Of tanned
sealslin, in the bottom which Is spread
Il layer Of whalebone shavings and ont.
side pair of close fitting boots, held In
place by string around the ankle
which reaches above the knee and
ends with rough edge covered by the
Dreeches. Dress boots often end I'm an
ornamental border, with drawstrinr
just below the knee. The boots are of
reindeer skin, with white sealskiu
soles for winter and dry weather, but
In summer waterproof boots of white
whalcskin are worn Oyershoes of tho
same material, reaching just above the
ankles, are sometimes worn over the
winter boots
The women wear tight fitting deer
skin pantaloons, with the hair next the
skin, and outside of these "A Similar
pair made OF the skins from deer legs.
With tue hair out, and having soles of
seaskin. but no ankle strings. The
women's pGntaloons, like those OF the
men, are Fastened with girdle lust
above the hips. 1t appears that they
do not stay up very well, as the wo-
men are continually hItching them up
ana tightening their girdles, like some
old sailor
Until they reach manhood the boys
wear pantoloons like the women, but
their jackets are cut just like those of
the mon.
The well to do Esklmos generally own
several complete suits of clothes ana
present a neat appearance when not
engaged In dirty work. The poorer
classes wear one suit for all occasions
until 1t becomes shabby. New clothes
are seldom put on till winter. The
outer froci is not often worn in the
lslu, or hut home, being usually taken
off before entering the ROOM
At present there is no such thing as
an Eskimo tailor, for the women of
each Eskimo household usually make
the garments of all the members of the
family. Not only this, but the Eskinos
arc extremely conservative in the mat
ter Of changes in the style of their raj
mcnt and respond very slowly TO the
undermining influences In this particu-
lar which have reached their neighbor-
hood