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Annuraaq: clothing in the Arctic
Birdskin parka
This birdskin parka was made by the Inughuit of
the Smith Sound area in northern Greenland. It was collected by the
American explorer Robert Peary (1856-1920), who visited the area
several times between 1891 and 1909 in preparation for his
expeditions to the North
Pole.
The Inughuit often
used the skins of auks or little auks to make parkas. The skins are
sewn together into belts, and the belts are then sewn into
poncho-like garments. The feather-side of the skin would have been
turned to the inside. Birdskin parkas were worn directly on the
body as inner parkas by men, women and children, usually under an
outer parka of sealskin. After 1910, when Knud Rasmussen opened his
trading-post in Thule, birdskin parkas were quickly replaced by
European underwear bought in the
store.
Conserving
the birdskin parka
Department of Conservation,
The British
Museum
Birdskin
clothes are light, warm and waterproof, but they tear easily. On
arrival in the Department of Conservation, the skin of the parka
was torn in several places. With ageing, the feathers had become
less securely attached to the skin and were easily
dislodged.
The tears were
repaired by adhering patches of a Japanese tissue paper coloured to
match, or where possible with goldbeaters' skin, a
transparent membrane prepared from ox intestine, which more closely
matches the appearance of the skin. The parka was then gently
padded with acid-free tissue paper. However, the parka remains
fragile, and cannot be exhibited, because this might lead to
further damage and loss of feathers.