items were also produced and decorated by the women.
the dried tendons of big game and separating out the individual strands. A variety of materials were used to Most items of clothing were decodecorate clothing including red ochre, rated to some extent. Leggings had natural plant-based dyes, seeds and narrow bands of ornamentation run- berries, dentalium shells, and porcuning down the front or side of the leg, pine quills. along the ankle seams, and on garters at the knees. Additional special Sewers used geometrical represengarters were worn by boys once they tations of the natural world around had made their first kill, indicating them in their work. Lines, circles, their status as a successful hunter. squares, triangles and dots were comTunics were decorated with bands mon. A butterfly suggested in flowing of dyed porcupine quills, dentalium lines, a mushroom in circles, fish skin shells, and other materials across the in squares, willows in cubes, birds in front and over the shoulders of the dots, rivers in lines and mountains in garment. Below this band hung thin semi circles (Van Kampen 2006). fringes wrapped in dyed quills and strung with seeds. Long before direct contact was made In pre-contact times all of the mate- beads made their way inland and rials used to produce and decorate are seen as part of the adornment of garments came from the land. Men pre-contact clothing. HBC Traders would harvest caribou and moose collected examples of Athapaskan and the women would tan the hides. clothing during these early years. Clothing was sewn together using Many of the collected garments came sinew which was made by pounding from the area around Fort Yukon
Photo: National Museum of Scotland published in Andrews, 2006.