Handmade the way to go - if you can get it
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Feb 12/01) - Where winter footwear is concerned, connections are everything.
Those with a mum or auntie (or, I guess, dad or uncle) who sews, are walking on air compared to the rest of us.
Because in addition to being warm, heavy-duty winter protection manufactured on an assembly line is just plain heavy.
Compared to the rubber, nylon and felt moon-boots known in the North as 'Sorels' no matter who manufactures them, footwear made of skin is superior in just about every way.
"They're comfortable and warmer," says Gloria Enzoe of her moccasins when asked how they compare to store-bought boots. "And you don't have to take them off when you go into someone's house."
Enzoe's mother made her moccasins of moose hide and canvas, with duffle lining.
Patricia Rabesca said Sorels are the most popular winter footwear in her home community of Wha Ti. So far, though, she's been able to get by with her hiking boots.
"It's not that cold yet. If it gets colder I'll use my Sorels," Rabesca said.
Asked why she doesn't have handmade boots, Rabesca said, "I'm not ready yet."
When it comes to sewing boots, or anything else for that matter, there are few people with more experience than Inuvik's Winnie Cockney.
"I've had good teachers, my auntie (my dad's sister) and my mum," said the 78-year-old former resident of Fort McPherson. "When we raised our kids we had to sew everything for them. Now I sew for someone else."
Cockney said it doesn't take long, four days, to make a pair of boots once the skin is prepared.
Though he doesn't sew them up himself, D'Arcy Moses sells them through his Nats'enelu traditional fashions company in Fort Simpson.
"A lot of people when they order these things usually get a foot tracing," Moses said. If you do decide to get a pair handmade for you, it's best to get them a little snug, because the skin will stretch. Expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $400 - depending on the ornamentation.
Handmade kamiks, mukluks and moccasins may be ideal for keeping your feet warm, but Enzoe said they're not fit for every situation.
"If I was going to Yellowknife and I was going out at night, I wouldn't be wearing my moccasins or Sorels."
