Belt (ungiqsaq)

This neatly braided belt (ungiqsaq) is made of caribou hind-leg sinews. It is adorned with an ivory buckle (saniruq) that depicts the head of a bear or seal. Such belts had several uses. In addition to holding one's pants up, they could be used to attach and hold objects to a sled, to string fish through their gills, and to fix the mesh of a fishing net.

Belt making was mainly women's work. The sinews were bleached by soaking them in water, then softened through chewing, and finally braided. The belt had to remain hard and stiff at its end, to make it easier to put on.

Nowadays, men generally prefer commercially made belts.