Lockhinge Notes - Greymantle Crafts

SHOES and other waterproof

Inuit waterproof sealskin boots, snow and rainy season bog? kamik "Sealskin was used without any additional coating so as not to interfere with its natural breathability, and the stitching did not fully penetrate the skin in order to ensure waterproofing. - The important task of keeping footwear in good condition fell to the women, who saw to it that boots kept their shape and flexibility by chewing them, stretching them, and drying them very slowly away from direct heat. - A hunter had five pairs of boots, including three for summer (boots had to be dried two to three days before they could be worn again). - Sealskin used to make waterproof summer boots had to be scraped in a special way. Women spread the cold, wet skins on their bare thighs and used their ulus to scrape off the fur, keeping the skins wet the whole time. They then flipped the skins over on their thighs to remove the flesh before stretching the skins out to dry on the snow. Sealskin treated this way was waterproof but also very hard and stiff. It had to be chewed and softened before sewing. -- These boots stand water for a long time without getting wet through, but when they become wet they must be turned inside out and dried very slowly to prevent them from shrinking, and worked soft with a stone skin-dressing tool or the teeth. The natives prefer to dry them in the sun. When the black epidermis wears off this leather is no longer waterproof, so that the women are always on the watch for white spots, which are mended with water-tight patches as soon as possible."

waterproofing moccasin technology (maybe. seemed they would rather go in snow barefoot bc they would become waterlogged immediately). kept them dry even at the expense of comfort.

waterproof fishskin leather

parkas from whalegut and sealgut

waterfowl parkas, warm and waterproof (mainly made by inuits who didn't have access to caribou herds)