Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 03/99) - The Keewatin arts and crafts industry could benefit substantially from the recent Kivalliq Trade Mission to Manitoba where the region's carvings and traditional clothes were a big hit, said Therseie Tungilik, interim board member for the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association.

Tungilik said there were enough traditional and contemporary clothing items --made by Keewatin Inuit -- brought to Winnipeg to enable trade mission participants to conduct a fashion show on Kivalliq Night' which received a standing ovation.

"Some of the region's jacket makers received orders to take home and other designers who were represented at the show also received orders," said Tungilik.

"The fashion side of the industry will benefit some Keewatin communities more than others. I see the fashion leaders being Rankin Inlet, Coral Harbour and Arviat, in no particular order.

"It's almost unbelievable what Inuit can do with material put in front of them."

While three communities may be slightly ahead of the pack when it comes to fashion, all seven Keewatin communities stand to benefit from the attention given to area carvings in Manitoba.

Tungilik said the people in Winnipeg were overwhelmed by the quality of the carvings on display during the event. Some of the carvings sold as delegates were setting up the exhibit.

"We have wonderful carvers in every community and those talents showed in Winnipeg. There were some fantastic dolls, especially one by Mona Netser of Coral Harbour, which captured a lot of attention because it was made entirely out of seal skin."

Tungilik said the traditional amouti, which enables women to carry their babies on their backs, was an extremely popular item. She said many people inquired about a beaded amouti made by Jenny Tootoo and it was quite exciting to explain the garment's history from a time when Inuit only lived in igloos and travelled by dog teams.

"During the midst of winter, the amouti allowed babies to be fed without halting a journey that had to be continued. You would be able to tuck your arm and move the baby from the back to the front of you to feed it. The baby was never exposed to the cold, like the -40 C we have everyday now. It was able to stay close to the mother's skin.

"We stressed traditional clothes are very functional and not just designed to look good. The number 1 thing is they're always comfortable and durable."

Tungilik said one of the lessons learned by delegates in the trade mission was the importance of letting people know beforehand where and when the shows are to be held.

"When the story got out in the local media, we were ready to pack to go home. That was too bad because the story attracted so many people, the hotel where we staying said the phones were ringing non-stop.

"We're already talking about holding the next trade mission on a holiday. It would be worth sacrificing a holiday to promote our region at a time when people are free from work and have more time to come in and see our products. And, we'll be sure to get the media covering our visit before we even arrive."