With needles, streaks and beach glasses, a group of women in Alaska came back to old traditions and learned new skills in the process. It is to sew the bear's intestine to the clothes that can be worn. ..
In the eyes of untrained people, the ceremonial bear gut parker Linda Seranov has recently helped create a look reminiscent of a clear plastic rain jacket. I did. The translucent coat trimmed with fur and shells is waterproof, windproof, lightweight and durable.
Made from the intestines of two bears, carefully cleaned and sewn over a two-week period by Seranov and other Chugatch Sugpiak and an Eyak woman in the Prince William Sound region of Alaska. I did.
"It's an honor to learn lost art, lost skills, and bring them back to areas that aren't in the museum," Seranov said.
When Seranov talks about it, her voice is a little awe-inspiring. Talking to Wandama Cloud, the host of Northwind , Seranov is behind the creation of a common and essential tool for hunters who once went out to harvest marine mammals in kayaks. I explained a process. Unlike many parkers (front, back, sides) where
are stitched together, the intestinal parker is sewn continuously in a circle to the chest.
The soft blade of the beach glass covers the seam and swells to prevent water from passing through the needle holes. This is a special waterproof stitch that is essential for making this parker.
Preserving History
When Sugpiak's elder June Pardu was a child, his mother Sophia Jane Johnson wrote on cigarette paper. Its special waterproof stitch that taught me how to fold and sew.
Returning to the island of Kodiak, where Pardu was born, intestinal parka was made in the last 15 years or so. However, it has been 100 to 150 years since the last intestinal parker was sewn for Prince William Sound's Sugupiak.
Pardue led a group in creating this latest Kumagat Parka, showing the process as her elders taught her.
"I am very grateful that her mother shared them with me and everything came back to my memory," she said.
"It was a long process. It was a beautiful process. And it was a glory."
Pardue said he changed Parker to a ritual rather than a functional one because he didn't have enough intestines to make a hood. rice field. It gave them the opportunity to add decoration — adding fur around the openings in the neck, wrists and bottom.
"There was an artist working with me and I could see their eyes brightening. They became artists," she recalled. Collectively, they designed trims with sea shells and seals adorned with red beads and sea lion fur.
Seranov said he hopes this project will be the beginning of the process of returning bear intestinal parker to modern use.
"We can continue to teach and share the knowledge we have learned and how to make another intestinal parker, so we hope this will become more common in the future. "She said.
'Copper River Red Salmon was running'
Parker remains at Chugachmiut, an Alaska indigenous non-profit organization that organized classes as part of a language and culture program.
Seranov said the advice for creating Parker came from the program of the Elders of Chugachimiut.
"We all decided that duplicating the intestinal parker was a great idea because we lost knowledge of how it was done in the area," she said. rice field.
While Pardue, Selanoff, and other participants were doing sewing work, it ultimately became a community effort. rice field.
The weather was perfect when I started rubbing my intestines clean in early June. They sewed Parker itself in a large building in Cordoba. There, people in the community helped strip the sewing thread and cut off the fur for trimming.
"People were very excited. They even brought food to keep us going," Pardu laughed.
"Copper River Red Salmon was running, so people brought Copper River Red, smoked salmon jam, sandwiches and salads, fish heads — it was just great."
When Parker was finally completed, the community hosted a potluck to celebrate. 92} "It was a celebration of their first garment made by their people for over 100 years," she said.
