Beading

The creativity of Alaskan coastal women can be seen in the numerous forms of embellishment that they apply to the footwear they make. The most important forms of decoration are beading, hair embroidery, fur inlay and pigmentation. In Shishmaref, bands of stained caribou or sealskin are tightly beaded with geometric designs and used to decorate the tops of boot legs. These are commonly sold to other seamstresses along the coast.

"Women from other villages buy these beaded panels from me for their own boots." Betty Eningowuk, Shishmaref, Alaska 1989

Pigmentation

Alder bark is shredded, boiled and spread over skins to stain them a light reddish brown. Commercial fabric dye and wet crêpe paper are often used today to stain skins.

"I collect rocks [ochre] and bake them until they turn to powder. When I rub it on skins they turn red." Minnie Gray, Ambler, Alaska 1989