МАЭ № 593-23

Parka

Kodiak Eskimos

prior to 1843

I.G. Voznesenskii's expedition

skin of cormorant, caribou fur, ermine fur, gullet of a sea lion, calico, caribou hair, sinew, woolen thread, cotton thread

length 115 cm, width at the hem 95 cm, width including the sleeves 135 cm, width of the cuffs 15 cm

This parka and headdress No. 593—25 comprise a set. “Bird skin parkas are made from loon, horned puffin, cormorant, and tufted puffin skins with their feathers still on. The women dry them, rub them with fermented fish eggs, and after some time scrape it off, and knead them until they are dry. The islanders have another way of preparing bird skins: they soak them for two or three days in urine, then wash them and knead them.” (Davydov 1812: 11)

Ethnography of America