Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 09/98) - Hunters may have traded dog teams for snowmachines and harpoons for guns, but traditional clothing continues to be a mainstay in the North after hundreds of years.

Northerners still prefer to wear animal skin clothing out of simple necessity -- caribou clothing, in particular, is warmer than any man-made material. Ask any hunter who has spent time on the land.

Elsie Marcellais of Nahanni Butte, who has been making traditional clothing since she was a young girl, said most everybody in her community wears home-made clothing, as much for cultural reasons as for warmth.

"(Like most women) I make moosehide jackets, gloves and belts for my family," she said with her granddaughter Lorraine Vital translating.

Marcellais, now in her 60s, said the tradition is an important one to maintain.

"I make it (clothing) for presents," she said. "I spend two or three days a week sewing. It's (traditional clothing) popular here."

Annie Bowkett of Pangnirtung agrees.

Bowkett, who makes traditional clothing and sells it in her own shop called Miqqut (Inuktitut for needle), said traditional clothing is an important aspect of life in her Baffin Island community. It's part of their identity as Inuit, she added.

"In our community, we always wear traditional clothing," she said. "A lot of people will wear caribou and sealskin. That's part of our tradition."

Practicality is also a factor in the lingering popularity of the garments.

"Because of the cold -- a lot of the men and women go out on the land -- it's how we keep ourselves warm when we go out on the land to hunt," she said.

But Bowkett, who has sold her mitts and kamiks across the North and as far away as Asia, said a lot of people have southern-style parkas bought at the Northern Store to wear around town. Much of the traditional wear is reserved for trips out on the land, which are still common.

Young people, in particular, are wearing the southern-style parka, she added.

Bowkett doesn't like to see this though and hopes people hold on to their traditional skills, one reason why she sews so much and has gone into business.

"As for me, I want to keep it alive ," she said. "We can't afford to lose our traditional skills because of the cold."

Traditional clothing instructor Kate Inuktalik of Kugluktuk said she wants to be part of keeping the tradition of making animal skin clothes alive.

"I have been sewing clothes out of caribou, sik sik and squirrel since I can remember," she said. "I make mitts, kamiks and other stuff."

Edward Melnychuk, who also works at the James Koighok Community Centre in Kugluktuk, said he's hoping to link the work of ladies like Inuktalik to the rest of the world via the Internet.

"...establish a link with the internet to promote the clothing...," he said. "Virtually everything that's made is sold, but they do have the capability to do more."