I saw some old B/W film footage today depicting an Aleut whale hunt circa 1940, wherein their outerwear rekindled a question in my mind: What is this material of construction? I am referring to the very white, smooth, non furry substance that has the appearance of a modern Tyvek suit. Here’s a couple of pics of what I refer to:http://www.bagheera.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/eskimo_whalers_2011.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5uSgHmdhq5I/S8zDh5DYQCI/AAAAAAAAAD8/SUdhYwNhzCU/s320/Whaler+Eskimos.jpg
http://www.bluediamondwebs.biz/Alaska-aewc-com/BillHessPhotos6-05-08/pic1full.jpg
Either that’s the non-furry side of a skin that’s been bleached (arctic people often wear skins fur side in for extra warmth) or intestines, which can be made into a water proof covering. But intestines have to be split open then joined edge-to-edge which makes a distinctive linear pattern so in the illustrations you show that’s not it. Most likely what you’re seeing there are skins worn fur-side in.
It’s called an anorak.
This site has information on clothing–and some fascinating art.
Inuit traditional dress involves layers. The inner layer is skins with the fur side in–for insulation. The next layer has the fur outside–as protection. For further protection, a layer of animal gut may have been added…
I never considered skin side out, fur side in. This, and the split intestine technique, explain it very well.
Thank you all.
Of the skin he made him mittens,
Made them with the fur side inside,
Made them with the skin side outside.
He, to get the warm side inside,
Put the inside skin side outside;
He, to get the cold side outside,
Put the warm side fur side inside.
That ’s why he put the fur side inside,
Why he put the skin side outside,
Why he turned them inside outside.
Note that clothing-wise, it could sometimes also be something as exotic as fish- or birdskin. I’d say not in those photos, based on the lack of seamlines, but it’s cool to note, nonetheless.
I thought anorak was the Greenland term, and parka was the Aleutian. You’ll note that that Yupik site seems to use parka exclusively. Although I’m getting conflicting information on what the difference is.
Yeah, it’s fairly interchangeable. You do hear parka more in Alaska, and they can be made either from fur or gut. The gut parkas are waterproof and used for kayak travel. Fur parkas generally open in the front, while gut parkas pull on over the head. I tend to refer to the gut parkas as anoraks, but have no idea where I picked that up.
The parka wikipage says the difference is that the anorak is a pullover, while the parka has an opening in front. The word parka originally comes from Nenets, a Siberian language. It was borrowed by Russian, and Aleut picked it up from them.
It doesn’t ever say that, actually, which is what makes it confusing.
It strongly implies it, since the anorak is described as a pullover jacket, and the parka as a knee-length coat. It’s very unlikely a knee-length coat will be a pullover.
Simply untrue. The most common aboriginal outer garment over the entire Boreal zone was a long, pullover “shirt”, often about knee-length among men, and even longer on women. Coats, having an open front, are most likely a late European influence on Northern native clothing.
In reading about it, I’ve seen lots of pictures of people in garments that appear to be pullovers and I would characterise as knee-length, though - like these or here. Note that second link uses the name parka exclusively.
The word “anorak” doesn’t appear anywhere on that site as a descriptor of any clothing, and that site is produced with input from Bering Coast natives - not Aleuts, but the same language family and similar traditional lifeways.
I can’t help but feel the Dope is failing us because no one has yet chimed in to say “I’m an Aleut, and we call them …”
Called a kuspuk.
This last pic looks like something ordered from Land’s End.
That photo is from 1988. Other pics on the same page suggest it is a modern synthetic jacket, eg http://www.logbookwasilla.com/storage/thumbnails/13925192-16398187-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1328295892385
Ooh, great information. The right word points to the Wiki page on the topic:
“hooded… with a large front pocket…”. In other words, they’re hoodies.
Often quite colorful, as well, and sometimes fringed with fur. The men don’t wear them as often.
Upon review, I must agree.
Is there a point to this observation?