Native American, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Inuit, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A luxurious pair of handmade moccasins of seal hide, cow, and fox fur. The skin of the bearded seal is very tough and were the popular choice for shoes and were used as the soles in this pair. The upper part of the shoe is comprised of cowhide with a decorative border of blue, and a red and white cord around the toe box. The opening is trimmed with fluffy fur from an arctic fox tail. The inside is lined with a low piled flannel textile, and the footbed is made from red fox fur. These moccasins incorporate traditional methods and materials from arctic animal, and these certainly would be quite warm! Size: 10.5" L x 3.6" W (26.7 cm x 9.1 cm)
Provenance: private Littleton, Colorado, USA collection, purchased from Peter Sovalik, Arctic Research Laboratory, Barrow, Alaska, USA in 1961
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#166431
Condition
Soles show minor signs of wear. The upper toe box is slightly mishappen and indented; a shoe insert could probably round out the shape. Could be worn, but not recommended.