This blog excerpt was taken from our store: Leather-Moccasins.
To read the entire article please click here.
Mukluks have a long past and a living history.
Like moccasins, they have been a staple of Indigenous culture for thousands of years. Yupik and Inuit peoples were the primary wearers of mukluks, due to the long, cold winters of their northern climate.
Deriving their name from maklak, the Yupik word for “bearded seal”, mukluks were traditionally crafted from sealskin, or moose and caribou hides, and thickly lined with fur. They were designed to be flexible for travel by foot, with a boot shaft that extended up the leg for additional warmth and insulation.
Early European explorers and settlers were not accustomed to the harsh climate of the “new world”, and soon adopted this traditional footwear for survival. In this way, many elements of the moccasin and mukluk - both practical and aesthetic - were absorbed into Western footwear.
According to the Indigenous-owned Manitobah company, “With the arrival of European fur traders, design and crafting techniques began to change. Aboriginal women... played an important role in this process, learning new sewing techniques and incorporating new materials and styles into their handwork... With this new influence, mukluk and moccasin designs flourished. Pom-poms, tassels and delicate beading patterns on the top of the footbed began to appear and over time the motifs became custom. Today one can easily trace a decorated mukluk or moccasin back to its particular geographic home.”
In today’s world, Manitobah designs mukluks for the modern wearer. Their Hunter Winter Boot is an example of how contemporary styles and materials can be reimagined, yet remain true to the spirit and function of original mukluks.
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