eskimo rubber boots

[Vince the Plumber]

i came across a guy wearing these today.

these are called kamik (ku-meek).

they are made from seal skin with the fur scraped off. they are black because they still retain the oil. kamiks that are white have been dipped in boiling or hot water then the fur is removed.

the stitching in quite literally in-between each grain of the skin which also makes them water-proof.

they are custom made to fit the wearer.

they don't fall down or bunch up because the top drawstring is over top of the calf muscle.

everytime we put them on we switch them to the other foot. this helps to keep their shape.

the inner lining is called kamik-puck.

these were usually worn during spring, fall, and summer.

winter kamiks were either made of caribou or polor bear.

Vince

in the old days, people were known to have eaten them when there was no game to be had

i wonder if that's where the saying "putting your foot in your mouth" comes from?:D

[BHD]

here is foot wear from the West of the USA, I remember your post on the save the veal,
http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=4806&d=1225897884
Western Footwear
http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=4852&stc=1&d=1226553108
and jsut wanted you to know that these are made from cow (veal) hide and are stitched very close as well, they are massed produced and if you want a different style there available,
as one can see they can be had with hair or with out the hair (which is the normal) but since these carry the markings of the original owners
but for the sake of discussion I though you would enjoy these,

they do not fall down as the leather is stiff enough to stand up on there own,

these are made especially for either the right or the left foot, not interchangeable.

the inter lining is called a "SOCK" it is a special cloth addition that covers the foot,

these can be usually worn ever season of the year, some times the socks are exchanged for heaver ones in the cold of the year.

we call this a BOOT :)

Vince, I really do enjoy your posts, and thanks for the education of the far north. but I jsut could not pass this one up, thanks,

[gear junkie]

Keep these posts coming Vince, very interesting.

[Vince the Plumber]

BHD,

those are a nice pair of boots. the soles look very knee friendly.

can you eat them?:D

i used to own a pair of "John Chisholm" cowboy boots. they had the pointy toe. the best boots i ever owned. they last 15 years before they dried out and i had to part with them. best $350 bucks i ever spent.

Vince

i should mention that the men and women used to chew the skins to soften them up. old pictures revealed worn teeth (right down to the knub) because of this

[VASandy]

Very nice! I have a pair of pack boots that look like they're based on that design. Unfortunately, they're not seal skin...but they do have the same liner system (wool/felt) that I see in the picture. Down here in the lower 48, the cowboy boot is more in fashion. Then again, we have a few more cows than seals down here. ;)

Thanks for posting, Vince. I enjoy your little snippets of life up there.

[Vince the Plumber]

vaSandy,

did you know; it's bad luck for a eskimo to wear a full seal skin outfit then fall asleep on the ice during the springtime. we get lead poisoning and a really bad headache.:D

Vince