MURDOCH.] 



MITTENS. 



123 



ARM CLOTHING. 



Mittens. The hands are usually protected by mittens (aitkfi ti) of 

 different kinds of fur. The commonest kind arc of deerskin, worn with 

 the flesh side out. Of those the collection contains one pair, No. 8H8U.S 

 [!)73j (Fig . 07). They arc made of thick winter reindeer skin, with the 

 white flesh side outward; in the shape of ordinary mittens but short and 

 not narrowed at the wrists, with the thumb short and clumsy. The 

 seams are all sewed &quot;over and over&quot; on the hair side. These mittens 

 are about 7 A inches long and 4 broad. The free part of the thumb is 

 only 2^ inches long on the outer side. Such mittens are the ordinary 

 hand covering of men, women, and children. In extreme cold weather 

 or during winter hunting, very heavy mittens of the same shape, but 

 gathered to a wristband, are worn. These are made of white bearskin 

 for men and women, 

 for children of dog 

 skin, with the hair 

 out. When the hand 

 covered with such a 

 mitten is held upon 

 the windward sideof 

 the face in walking, 

 the long hair affords 

 a very efficient pro 

 tection against the 

 wind. The long stiff 

 hair of the bear 

 skin also makes the 

 mitten a very con 

 venient brush for re 

 moving snow and hoar frost from the clothes. It is even sometimes 

 used for brushing up the floor. 



In the MacFarlane collection are similar mittens from the Mackenzie 

 region. 1 etitot 1 says the Anderson liiver &quot;chief&quot; wore pualuk &quot;mi- 

 taines en peau de morse, aussi blanches et aussi soyeuses &amp;lt;[iie de belle 

 laine.&quot; These were probably of bearskin, as a mitten of walrus skin 

 is not likely to be &quot;blanche&quot; or &quot; soyeuse.&quot; (1 loves arc worn under 

 these as at Point Barrow. All these mittens are short in the wrist, 

 barely meeting the frock sleeve, and leaving a crack for the cold to get 

 in, which is partially covered by the usual wolf or wolverine skin fringe 

 of the sleeve. I have already mentioned the common habit among the 

 women of carrying only one mitten and drawing one arm inside of the 

 frock. 2 The men, except when limiting, frequently wear only one of 

 these heavy mittens, which are called pu alu. Waterproof mittens of 

 black sealskin, coming well up over the forearm, were also observed, but 

 not obtained, i do not remember ever seeing them in use. 



Monographic, etc., p. xv. 



Compare Parry, 2d Voy., p. 494, where a siinilav habit is mentioned at Iglnlik. 



I m. 67. Dud-skin mittens. 



