In this lavishly illustrated and definitive reference book, Jill Oakes shares the bootmaking skills taught to her by expert seamstresses. Inuit women use boots as a medium to pass on traditional knowledge, display group affiliation, and communicate pride in their skills, utilizing the land's resources to create warm clothing and footwear whose artistry depicts their cultural diversity. 11.5x9", 224 pp, b&w and color illustrations.

Our Boots : An Inuit Women's Art

Oakes, Jill

Riewe, Rick

Douglas & McIntyre, Limited

In this richly illustrated volume, Jill Oakes and Rick Riewe detail how indigenous peoples of Siberia make, wear, and interpret the meaning of their traditional clothing. Drawing on extensive research and their travels across northern Asia, the authors document the intricate designs executed in fur, embroidery, beads, paint, and dye that adorn indigenous apparel, from everyday parkas and boots to shaman's robes. They also record the complex belief systems that inform nearly every aspect of a garment's construction and decoration. Among the Even of Central Siberia, a healing shaman wears human-shaped pendants made of red-dyed seal fur to help cure a sick person. Among the Koryak of the Far East, burial clothing made from white-haired reindeer skin can't be seen or finished until someone actually dies. The Nenets of western Siberia sew bells on their children's sleeves both to keep them from getting lost and to ward off evil spirits. Oakes and Riewe also draw parallels between the practices of Siberian peoples and those of northern Canada and Alaska.

SPIRIT OF SIBERIA: Traditional Native Life, Clothing, and Footwear

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Smithsonian

Alaska Eskimo Footwear

Alaska Eskimo Footwear celebrates the incredible beauty and spiritual significance of the shoes and boots worn by Alaska Native peoples. Stunning photography brings the harsh and striking environment of the North alive and demonstrates how essential footwear was to native survival, while Eskimo seamstresses, dancers, and hunters explain the symbolic meaning of their traditional patterns and decorative details. This full-color volume features photographs from museum collections in Canada, the United States, and Russia, as contributors from each major Alaska Eskimo group—Inupiaq, Yup’ik, Alutiiq, and St. Lawrence Islander—discuss skin preparation, boot construction, and decoration. A tribute to exquisite art and the women who practice it, Alaska Eskimo Footwear brings the beauty of the North—and its traditional wares—to life.

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

University of Alaska Press

Alaska Eskimo Footwear celebrates the incredible beauty and spiritual significance of the shoes and boots worn by Alaska Native peoples. Stunning photography brings the harsh and striking environment of the North alive and demonstrates how essential footwear was to Native survival. Eskimo seamstresses, dancers, and hunters explain the symbolic meaning of their traditional patterns and decorative details, helping the reader understand the ancient stories stitched into timeless designs.For each major Alaska Eskimo group—Inupiaq, Yup’ik, Aleut, Alutiiq, St. Lawrence Islander—authors Oakes and Riewe discuss pattern, design, and techniques for skin preparation, construction, and decoration. They describe the reasons for design and decorative differences in boots used for ceremonies and dancing versus those for everyday wear and hunting, trapping, and fishing. Developed with Eskimo seamstresses from each Alaskan region, this full-color volume features photographs from museum collections in the United States and Russia. Detailed drawings of patterns, construction techniques, and decorative details illustrate the complexity of this ancient art and provide readers with guidance in identifying regional styles. A tribute to an exquisite art and the women who practice it, Alaska Eskimo Footwear brings the beauty of the North to life.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Beauty, Grooming, & Style

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Books by Oakes, Jill