Maria Canton
Northern News Services

Kimmirut (Nov 22/99) - When Elisapee Ikkidluak received a call from the local Hunters and Trappers Organization asking if she was interested in making traditional seal skin and caribou hide clothing, she jumped at the chance.

"I had never sewn with seal skin before so I thought I'd go for it," said Ikkidluak from an office in Kimmirut.

"We have to do everything from the very beginning stages, it's very challenging."

The sewing program Ikkidluak is talking about is being hosted by Kimmirut's HTO. It is funded by the Niutaq Cultural Institute, based in Iglulik.

"The objective of the program is to help students learn how to sew and make traditional Inuit clothing," said Ikkidluak.

"We have a chance to do everything -- prepare the skins, make patterns and now we are starting to sew sets of clothing."

Last year, the Niutaq Cultural Institute approached the HTO's board of directors and asked if they would be interested in running a traditional clothing project for the community.

The secretary manager for the HTO, Martha Padluq, says the program is important because it teaches the younger generation traditional skills.

"If only the elders have traditional knowledge then we will eventually lose some of the skills," said Padluq.

"Things are running much better now that we've been started for a month, but we still have room for one more trainee."

The three trainees in the program are learning how to sew one set of traditional winter and summer clothing for men, women, boys and girls from seal skin and caribou hide.

Two elders are teaching the program which began in late October and will run until the end of January.

Leo Tulugajuk is the co-ordinator for the Niutaq Cultural Institute and he says they started the program two years ago to preserve Inuit ways.

"More and more we are seeing our designs disappearing and there is little training for the younger generation, even our hunting clothes are southern made."

Tulugajuk says the program costs about $24,000 per community to run and the institute plans to target all the Baffin communities.

"Besides the clothing program we also have introduced a traditional counselling program and a traditional ways program into the communities."