Native American, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Inuit, ca. early to mid-20th century CE. A beautiful pair of men's moccasins made from seal skin, cow hide, and fox fur. Included are a pair of used seal skin soles with the cow hide trim intact for securing to the rest of shoe. The soles were worn by the original owner as part of a complete moccasins but were removed once worn down. The skin of the bearded seal is very tough and were a popular material for shoes, and this sealskin was used for the soles of both the soles and completed moccasins seen here. The completed upper part of the moccasins is comprised of cowhide with a decorative border of blue, and a red and white cord around the toe box. The foot opening is trimmed with fluffy fur from an arctic fox. The inside is lined with a low piled flannel textile, and the footbed is made from fox fur. These moccasins incorporate traditional methods and materials from arctic animals, and these certainly would be quite warm. Size: 11.5" L x 4" W (29.2 cm x 10.2 cm)

Provenance: private Littleton, Colorado, USA collection, purchased from Peter Sovalik, Arctic Research Laboratory, Barrow, Alaska, USA in 1961

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#166439

Complete pair: Light signs of use and scuffs on the soles. Not recommended for wearing. Toebox is indented and needs a shoe insert to fill out the shape. Other pair are soles only, heavy signs of use with wear to the soles and interior foot bed, indentations to the sides, and heavy creasing.