Environmental Factors Influencing Bird-Skin Clothing Production^*

* A version of this paper was presented at the Circumpolar Ecosystems in Winter Symposium, 16-21 February 1990, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

Abstract

Skin clothing enables hunters to spend extended periods of time outdoors throughout the arctic winter. The species used for clothing is influenced by environmental factors that vary from one region to the next. Birds were used by indigenous peoples from parts of Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and Siberia in the past, but today such use is extremely rare. Inuit living on the Belcher Islands, N.W.T., are the primary group discussed in this paper; other circumpolar groups are included for comparison.

The objective of this study is to identify and discuss environmental factors that influence regional variations in bird-skin clothing production. Social science methodology, i.e., participant-observation, content analysis, and ethnographic review was used to document bird skin selection. Findings indicate that regional variations in species selected for use reflect the availability of birds and caribou in each area. When constructing a parka, placement of skins is influenced by species, sex, and age of the skins used.