Pair Of Boots
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1879
name: label: Collector
content: Edward W. Nelson
label: Donor Name
content: Edward W. Nelson
notes: label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "UPPER PART OF SEALSKIN. SOLES ARE OF SEAL FLIPPERS. INVENTORIED 1976."
label: Notes
content: This object is on loan to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, from 2010 through 2027.
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=91 , retrieved 11-25-2021; see web page for additional information: Boots, Inupiaq. This is a pair of waterproof summer boots designed for wet ground, rainy summer weather, and boating. The upper parts are made of scraped, winter-tanned seal hide. The seal skin was soaked in urine to remove oils and then bleached white through prolonged exposure to freezing cold air. The soles of these boots are made from the tough hide of a bearded seal. This is a pair of waterproof summer boots made from bleached seal skin, with bearded seal soles. Inupiaq women traditionally made a variety of boot styles, using materials and techniques that suited different seasons and conditions. Some are still made today. As described in historical sources, bearded seal was the material most commonly used for soles, although walrus hide, beluga skin and (rarely) polar bear could also be employed. In the Barrow area, beluga skins-light yellow, translucent, thick and durable-were considered the best material for waterproof soles and were a highly prized trade item. Boot soles were tanned using two different processes. When only the hair was scraped off the sole was dark-colored, waterproof and durable, as on the pair pictured here. This type of sole, with some bristles left on the outside surface, was also excellent for use on sea ice because it prevented slipping. For some boot bottoms, the epidermis (outer layer of skin) was removed. The resulting white to yellowish-brown skin was preferred for dress boots and dry snow conditions. Waterproof boots were designed for wet ground, rainy summer weather, and boating. Some were short, like this pair, while others reached the knee. Some were hip-length to wear in deeper water while hunting or fishing.("Black" seal skin, often used for the upper parts of waterproof boots, was tanned so as not to remove the epidermis and natural oils, leaving the skin dark and water-repellant. Seal oil was applied to maintain its waterproof quality. Some uppers were given a reddish-brown color by applying alder-bark dye. One type of summer boot, seen here, has a light-colored upper made from scraped, winter-tanned seal hide. The skins were soaked in urine to remove oils and then bleached white through prolonged exposure to cold air. The seams on short boots were usually ornamented with alder-dyed strips of skin. This type of boot was worn in less wet conditions. It has a drawstring at the top and straps for secure tightening to the foot. Boot makers used a small knife with a half moon-shaped blade-an ulu, also called a "woman's knife," or 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: 30 Jan 2022
label: Specimen Count
content: 2
place: label: Place
content: Unalakleet, Norton Sound, 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: 008133
label: USNM Number
content: E38771-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Boot
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 30 cm