Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Feb 14/00) - A delegation of seven Northerners will travel south Tuesday to learn about Northern fashion from times gone by.

The seven are members of a group researching early clothing of the Gwich'in people. They will travel to the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Que., and then on to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

They will study the century-old articles on display in the two museums and use what they learn to duplicate clothing for displays in the North, said Ingrid Kritsch research director for the Gwich'in Social Cultural Institute in Tsiigehtchic.

"The reason we're doing this is just to look at traditional caribou clothing at this point and hopefully later to replicate four sets of clothing," Kritsch said.

Among the delegation will be three Gwich'in elders -- Rosie Firth, Rosie Stuart and Renie Martin -- along with seamstress Karen Wright-Fraser, filmmaker Dennis Allen, Prince of Wales Heritage Centre curator Joanne Bird and the executive director for the Gwich'in Cultural Institute, Alestine Andre.

The main reason for the visit is to establish a pattern and study the way the clothing was sewn, Andre said.

"The clothing is from the 1800s and we're going to have a look at the way the clothing was made back then,' Andre said. "We hope to make a pattern from the clothing and come back and replicate it."

The skills and knowledge of Gwich'in elders will be a great help to the project, Andre said.

"The women we are taking along with us are very well known in the art of sewing," she said. "Hopefully they will also be able to provide us with some background information on the clothing -- information that they've heard from their grandparents or parents."

To complete the replicas, 50-70 summer caribou hides will be harvested. The hides are best taken during summer months because the caribou have often have a parasite that makes small holes in the skin during parts of the year.

"Sometimes the caribou hides have a lot of little holes ... from worms, and they say the best place to get a hide is from around Aklavik and north of Inuvik," she said.

The sewing team will be using the same materials and methods as their ancestors in replicating the clothing, she said.

"Because we'll be using as many natural supplies as possible, we'll be making our own sinew, using porcupine quills and ochre, a rusty red colouring that is used to colour the porcupine quills.

"We'll probably be making a bone awl, because we can't use modern glovers (a needle used in leather work) to sew with," she added.

The project will consist of three phases. The first phase will be the trip to examine clothing and making a pattern. The second will be the actual replication of clothing.

Andre said the third phase will be repatriation, which involves a 30-minute documentation of the process, a tour of the schools and finally public display of the replicas.

It's hoped that a set of clothing will be on display at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife. Bird says the delegates are "going to see as much as we can see."

She says the clothing is very recognizable as Gwich'in.

"The cut and style and execution are all very unique to the Gwich'in," she said. "When you look at the old paintings you can see right away that it is Gwich'in, but it's different in shape.

"It's quite lavishly decorated with porcupine quills," she added.

Judy Thompson, curator for the Western sub-Arctic at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, is looking forward to welcoming the delegation.

"The clothing is from mainly the late 19th century, but unfortunately how it was acquired and where it was found is not well documented," Thompson said.

Because the clothing was gathered from private collections and donations, Thompson said it's not known exactly from where or when the clothing was acquired. But based on research she's done to authenticate the clothing, the style is certainly Gwich'in.

"Gwich'in clothing has a distinctive look to it; the sharply-pointed shoulder on the man's tunic, the sweeping band of porcupine quills and fringe are quite unique," she explained. "The hide is not like the usual smoked tanning process, so it is almost white."

Although the items are not currently on display, Thompson said the museum is eager to share the collection with the First Nation.

"The pieces are all away in storage, but we are happy to welcome groups like the Gwich'in to come and view them," Thompson said.