A group of Inuit artists is travelling to museums to study traditional Inuit clothing and tools
A group called Agguaq, made up of artists, designers and seamstresses, is studying ancient Inuit clothing like parkas and amautik patterns — as well as old knife and Ulu designs that are on display in museums across the country.
The members say they intend to copy the patterns of items that existed hundreds of years ago made from materials Inuit found on the land.
The goal is to revitalize authentic clothing and tools.
“The clothing we’ve been looking at, clothes not from this time, they’ve evolved and changed,” said Rose Tina Alivaktuk, one of the group’s members.
“Whether it’s amauti, pants, or kamiks, they have truly evolved the pattern.”
Krista Zawadski, another group member, said the experience has allowed participants to tap into “our sense of identity and belonging.”
The project, she added, is “rooted in this idea of looking back and looking forward, to take that knowledge from those belongings and bring it forward into the future as Inuit.”
Agguaq is the result of a pilot project funded by the charity MakeWay.
Lori Tagoona is the charity’s representative in Inuit Nunangat and Agguaq’s founder.
She said the group has been to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal, and Winnipeg Art Gallery.
Now the group is looking forward to its next big visit to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
A report from Lyndsay-Ann Palliser
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: ‘Inuit space explorer, exploring alternate worlds’ in sealskin space suit art project, CBC News
Finland: Sámi school preserves reindeer herders’ heritage with help of internet, Cryopolitics Blog
United States: Can traditional Alaska Native foods be sold? A clash of legal, cultural opinions, Alaska Dispatch News
