It took about 10 skins to make a rabbit fur coat for a young child. Making a blanket for two adults required 100 or so skins. Animals were hunted in winter because their fur was thicker and less oily then. Once the animal was killed, it was important to keep the skin in one piece—from the paws to the head—and not to pierce it. It was also important to keep the head, because it was used to prepare strips of the skin.
The skin was turned inside out and placed on a pole. A thimble at the end of the pole made it easy to rotate the skin.
Mary Jacob Katapatuk, Eeyou (Cree)
Images : Mendy Bossum-Launière and Carl Morasse
Once the skin was cleaned, it was cut into a strip. The cutting was done in a spiral, avoiding the area where the paws were so the strip wouldn’t have any holes. One animal produced one strip.
The strips were twisted to make them stronger, with the fur on the outside. To make this process easier, one end of the strip was securely fastened to a beam and a small cord attached to the other end.
The finished strips were then hung outside—ideally in sunlight—to dry for 12 to 24 hours.
Mary Jacob Katapatuk, Eeyou (Cree)
Images : Mendy Bossum-Launière and Carl Morasse
A simple wooden frame served as a loom. A length of cord was wound around the frame to hold woven strips in place. Once the piece was done, the cord was cut to remove it.
The first fur strip was woven through the cord along the top edge of the frame from left to right. It was fastened on the right side, then woven to the left, crossing under or over the first strip. If a strip broke, the two pieces were spliced together.
When the body of the coat was partially completed, the weaver shaped its armholes by skipping three rows in two spots, one-third of the way from the top and one-third of the way from the bottom.
Mary Jacob Katapatuk, Eeyou (Cree)
Images : Mendy Bossum-Launière and Carl Morasse
The coat sleeves were made using an arm-sized stick. A piece of leather lacing was tied around it to hold the first fur strip in place, and the strips were then woven together using the same technique as for the coat body. A 60 centimeter strip was left on each sleeve to attach it to the coat.
Mary Jacob Katapatuk, Eeyou (Cree)
Images : Mendy Bossum-Launière and Carl Morasse
Leather lacing was inserted along the coat’s upper edge. When each end of the lacing was pulled, a hood was formed.
To fasten the coat in front, a leather strip was looped along each side edge and fastened at the top and bottom. A third lace was then threaded through the loops.
Another leather lace was threaded along the coat’s bottom edge and tied in front to help keep the cold out.
Mary Jacob Katapatuk, Eeyou (Cree)
Images : Mendy Bossum-Launière and Carl Morasse