Man's Skin Parka (For Hunting)
date: label: Accession Date
content: 8 Feb 1884
name: label: Collector
content: W.J. Fisher
label: Donor Name
content: William J. Fisher
notes: label: Notes
content: From card: "ma-da-gun. Worn by native when hunting reindeer".
label: Notes
content: 1989 analysis of fur by Bonnie Farmer, NMNH Dept. of Vertebrate Zoology: Enhydra lutris / Sea Otter: Constitutes the darkest brown fur on garment; forms fringe at end of each sleeve. Also found as dark patch at neck, contiguous with a dark band of same species encircling the neck. Used in strips to form tassels at neck and throughout garment. Rangifer tarandus / Caribou/Reindeer: Forms the white part of the collar; also the broad white strips of coarse hair at shoulders extending from neck towards end of sleeves. Appears to constitute the decorative stitching on sleeves and tassels at neck. Mustella vision / Mink: Long dark strips at top of each shoulder. Mustella erminea / Shorttail Weasel/Ermine: Found as narrow bands (3) of soft, short off-white fur encircling garment; also used as small white tufts attached to the many tassels sewn into the seams at shoulders and over the body; a rectangular patch is found approximately top center of one side of parka and two tails just opposite on the other side. Spermophilus parryi / Arctic Ground Squirrel: Nearly whole skins, most with tails attached, form body of parka; includes fringes of tassels on sleeves, side seams and between individual skins. Unknown/Tentative Identifications: Long strands of white hair sewn into tassels at shoulders and neck most closely resemble hair of Gulo luscus (Wolverine). (See illustration #2). White areas on large tassels at neck, and whitish bands at end of each sleeve closely resemble both R. tarandus (Caribou/Reindeer) and Odocoileus hemionus (Mule (Blacktail) Deer).
label: Record Last Modified
content: 13 Feb 2025
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Katmai, Alaska Peninsula, Alaska, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Eskimo
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 014024
label: USNM Number
content: E90468-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Parka