Sewing kit

Deborah Qaunaq: There, I know about these [Deborah points at a set of several pieces on the table] very well. Our children would pee

on a caribou skin padding. There were no diapers then. This [Deborah points at a flat V-shaped piece] is to collect

urine. It's a scoop. [Deborah makes the action of scraping] It's not a stretcher. It breaks easily.

It's not a stretcher (tasiuktirut). It's a qaluuti [in inuktitut], a scoop. Not a stretcher, a scoop.

If there was liquid on the skin... If the skin was wet, it was used to remove the liquid.

Qaluuti, a scoop. This [Deborah takes the small half-moon shaped knife] was used to cut patterns, not used to eat with.

Not used to eat with but to cut patterns with. When working with seal skins or

making mittens, it was used to cut, to cut patterns with. Not used to eat with.

This is a caribou's sinew. It's braided and used for sewing.

They were used to sew seal skins together to make tents.

These [Deborah takes the two finger guards] were used for protection. To prevent the skin from becoming raw [Deborah points at her fingers].

This for the pinky, this for the ring finger. They would sew using the sinew.

When you were sewing, it could get hurt... The skin could start to become raw.

These were used for protection. These were needed to prevent the skin from becoming raw

from pulling on the stings. This is a Tikiq [in inuktitut] a thimble, before metal thimbles arrived.

This is from a bearded seal, a bearded seal skin. A thimble, this is a thread.

This [Deborah takes a finger guard and then the other one] was for protection, to prevent skin from becoming raw. This for the pinky and this for this.

Many skins, for making tents or covers for the sod house,

they would use skins back then, before there were any store-bought materials.

In early spring when seals were basking on the ice

they would start hunting for skins to make tents with. The skins were prepared and dried. Each was prepared to dry

for use in the spring and summer — skins to be used as covers for the sod houses in the winter.

When they were sewing many skins, these things were used.

Braided sinew, I saw my grandmother Ilupaalik

braiding them for sewing, to make a cover for the sod house made of skins. I had seen her braiding.

Also from the caribou’s leg or the loin’s sinew.

Caribou sinews were also used as threads.

This [Deborah points at the half-moon shaped knife] is an uuktuut [in inuktitut], an ulu for cutting patterns. This [Deborah takes back the V-shaped object] is a qaluuti, a scoop. If the caribou skin, maybe a bedding,

got wet, it was used to scoop off the liquid. A scoop, not a scraper. Qaluuti, a scoop.