INUVIK
Brian Rogers says he's determined to help keep traditional skills alive and thriving in the Beaufort Delta.

Alice Thrasher was one of the participants in a mukluk-making course sponsored by the Inuvialuit Community Corporation. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

Rogers was one of the amiable instructors in a mukluk-making course sponsored by the Inuvialuit Community Corporation that began in October.

Seven of the 10 people who started the course finished their footwear, which is impressive considering the amount of work that goes into it.

Rogers said he's been leading the courses since around 2007 or 2008. He volunteered before that, but has since become an instructor in the intricate art.

For the session that concluded Nov. 30, participants had their choice of making either indoor or outdoor mukluks.

Rogers said he learned the craft at his mother's knee.

"I watched her, and she was a very talented seamstress," he said.

Other people involved in the course nodded in agreement, acknowledging he comes from a talented family.

Making a proper set of footwear, Rogers stressed, begins with picking the proper materials.

Moosehide, most of which comes from around Fort Good Hope, is by far the best type of leather to use for outdoor mukluks, he explained.

Unlike cowhide, moose hide, especially good quality material, doesn't slip on snow and ice. That's always one of the most important considerations, he said.

Rogers said the material found further south in the Sahtu tends to be the best available. Moosehide is becoming more expensive, and less common, these days as the skill begins to fade out.

Almost everyone in the course had some skill at sewing, leather-work and embroidery.

In that sense, the course was more about refining techniques, brushing up on sometimes rusty skills, and perhaps learning a new trick or two rather than starting from scratch.

Rogers said that was fine with him, since one of his goals is to keep the traditional skills in use in the delta.

With more people who know the old ways, he said, it's easier to keep it spreading to the younger generation, who are still showing an interest in it.

One of those experienced participants, Alice Thrasher, said that was the case for her.

She needed a new set of outdoor mukluks and figured the class was the place to start.

She produced a beautiful pair of mukluks with full embroidery, fur tops and rugged moose hide bottoms that could last quite a while.

Rogers said while it took almost two months for the people in the course to complete the boots, a skilled worker could likely do it in two days of constant work.

Next up on his schedule is a course to make traditional mitts and gloves.

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