Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Nov 19/01) - It's soft, warm, light, highly prized, and potentially lucrative. Qiviut, the treasured wool of the muskox, could be a bonanza for Kitikmeot hunters and trappers.

The region's Hunters and Trappers Association wants to build a mill to process qiviut locally.

Anne-Marie Rusk displays qiviut gloves, toques, scarves and sweaters in Yellowknife and bound for other Southern markets. - Merle Robillard/NNSL photo

"We're just in the process of finishing our business plan," says Philip Kadlun, president of the association.

Muskoxen shed qiviut, their undercoat, every year. Inuit have long gathered the wool, which is considered better for textiles than the Cadillacs of wool -- cashmere and pashmina. Qiviut is eight times warmer than regular sheep's wool.

It also tends to be at least as expensive, al-though that's due in part to a lack of sophisticated harvesting operations.

The Kitikmeot plan would involve taking the qiviut from freshly harvested muskox carcasses. Muskox meat is currently processed and packaged at the Kitikmeot Foods plant operated in Cambridge Bay.

Kadlun says that more details about the plant, including its location, would have to wait until the association's board of directors approves the plan.

A consultant from Rankin Inlet has been preparing the business plan for the project.

The economics surrounding qiviut make the interest in a mill obvious. Qiviut is portable, very light and easily transported to the South. A consumer who bought a qiviut tunic could expect to pay $575 US from the Oomingmak Muskox Producers' Co-op in Anchorage, Alaska.

The co-op has been creating qiviut textiles since 1969. Oomingmak ships its qiviut to a textile mill in Rhode Island, where it is spun into yarn. The finished yarn is then returned to the village co-op owner. They, in turn, turn the yarn into one-of-a-kind textiles.

In the Kitikmeot, qiviut is also sent down South, first to be turned into yarn, then into textiles. Sometimes, finished qiviut yarn is shipped back North.

Despite the fibre's much-vaunted attributes, there is considerable room for growth in the market.

"We don't generally stock qiviut, although some small local stores may have it independently, said Christine McCarville, a spokesperson for Arctic Co-operatives in Winnipeg.

Further south, demand is picking up. Rebecca Denhoff operates Crescent Moon Fibers in Virginia. Her company sells specialty yarns and textiles around the world. A pair of qiviut socks at Crescent Moon costs $85.

When people touch clothing made with qiviut, "they're just awed by it," said Denhoff. "It's this touchy-feely sort of interaction, and they just go crazy over it," she added.

Denhoff recently shipped a supply of qiviut yarn to a fashion designer in England.

Kadlun says he wants to see more of those profits and labour stay in the Kitikmeot. A qiviut mill would mean a few more steps in the process of turning hair into fashionable clothing would stay in the region.

"The way the plan is designed would create much-needed jobs for our region," says Kadlun.

The hunters hope to secure extra funding for the project from various levels of governments, and from the Kitikmeot Inuit Association.

Kadlun says the business plan should be presented to the board of directors, "hopefully" by the end of December.