Pair Of Boots
date: label: Accession Date
content: 7 May 1941
label: Collection Date
content: 1891 - 1892 or 1908
name: label: Collector
content: Cmdr. Andrew J. Henderson
label: Donor Name
content: Mrs. Richard L. Henderson
notes: label: Notes
content: From card: "Sealskin soles, legs of reindeer hide, hair side out; decorative band at top of white and brown reindeer hair, red and blue woolen braid and red cloth band around top."
label: Notes
content: Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on this artifact https://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=356 , retrieved 12-29-2021; see web page for additional information: Boots, Inupiaq. Iñupiaq women still sew this style of warm caribou-skin boot. Skins from all four legs of one animal are needed to make each boot. The top trim is now often made with imported calfskin, but white caribou fur is traditional. Everyday winter boots for men and women are made of caribou and reach to the mid-calf or knees, like the pair shown here. Layers of material are added inside for warmth and comfort, which traditionally included grass footpads or whalebone shavings (Barrow area only), caribou skin or grass socks, sealskin slippers, and/or caribou skin stockings. Formerly, women also wore caribou-skin pantaloons with built-in shoes. Boot soles-usually made of bearded seal skin-can be tanned using two different processes. When only the hair is scraped off, the sole is dark-colored and waterproof. If the epidermis is scraped off, as on this pair, the result is a white to yellowish-brown skin that is preferred for dress boots and dry snow conditions. Historical sources indicate that winter boots were usually made of caribou skin, with the hair left on and facing to the outside. Short-haired skin from the legs or summer hides was commonly used. In the Barrow area, sealskin was occasionally used for work boots, but this was an inferior material because snow would stick to it. To secure the boot, an ankle strap made from a narrow strip of sealskin was sewn onto each side near the heel, as seen on this pair. These straps cross above the heel, wrap once or twice around the ankle, and tie at the front or side. Loops at each side of the heel hold the straps in place. Winter boots have drawstrings at the top which keep snow out and prevent them from slipping down. Women often decorated winter boots, particularly "fancy" boots for special occasions. Sometimes, strips of brown caribou leg skin and white belly skin were sewn together to make contrasting stripes. Or ornamental bands of fur were added at the top, as on this pair. Decorative material included white reindeer skin, obtained through Siberian trade with the Chukchi and later available from the Seward Peninsula after herds were introduced there in 1892. Boot seams were decorated with black strips from dried wolf-fish skin or russet strips of alder-dyed, winter-tanned sealskin. Women also sewed on fur strips, tassels or tufts made from skins such as wolverine, ermine or dyed baby-seal. Red and blue yarn, obtained in trade, was used for decorative stitching or seams, as on this pair. In the Barrow area, mountain sheep skin, probably a trade item from the interior was sometimes used for winter dress boots. Boot makers used a small knife with a half moon-shaped blade-an ulu, also called a "woman's knife," or an uluraaq [woman's small knife]-to cut skins. No pattern or measuring tools were needed, only hand measurements. Sinew thread was used, usually from caribou. Boot soles have pleated edges, often referred to as crimping. Women folded up the edges, crimped them with a special tool, and sewed through each crimp to attach the sole to the boot. Along the North Alaska coast, women used their teeth for crimping. Boot makers in the Barrow area added a round piece of sealskin (hair on) to the heel to prevent slipping.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 29 Dec 2021
label: Specimen Count
content: 2
place: label: Place
content: Northwest, Alaska, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Eskimo, Inupiaq
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 159919
label: USNM Number
content: E381735-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Boot
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 60 cm