| Brief Description |
This pair of Alaskan snow boots, or mukluks, is made from three pieces of dark brown dyed seal skin. One boot has an extra piece sewn into the toe of the upper as a repair. The boots have soft soles drawn up and gathered and hand-sewn with sinew. The uppers are also sewn with sinew and edged with cream-coloured leather with plaited and twisted sinew drawstrings threaded through the edging for fastening the boots tightly to the legs of the wearer.
Mukluks are traditionally made of reindeer skin or sealskin and were worn by Arctic indigenous peoples. They are flexible, wear well on snow and ice and allow hunters to move very quietly. They are often lined for extra warmth with furs such as rabbit or fox and may be adorned with pompons and beads.
|
