Mittens

Description:

White caribou skin mittens sewn with sinew down one side, around bottom, partially up other side. Thumb made from two pieces of skin sewn to glove (approximately 3″ from the top). Top ornamented with blue and red border, enclosing blue zig-zag and red parallel lines.

References:

Lucien M. Turner. 1979[1894]. Indians and Eskimos in the Quebec-Labrador Peninsula. Quebec: Presses COMEDITEX. James W. VanStone. 1985. Material Culture of the Davis Inlet and Barren Ground Naskapi: the William Duncan Strong Collection. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History. Fieldiana, Anthropology New Series No.7.

Innu Narrative:

“The caribou hide was used for making estishits (mittens). And ric-rac was used for designs. These are nutshimiu-estishits (country mittens) and they are worn in the country [nutshimiu-ashtish].” Pinamen (Rich) Katshinak.

“These are Atshtish (mittens), and this is how they are made – ashtish. These are made out of pishakanashtish (hide), and sometimes out of material. The mitts were made like that in the past. Before the relocation from the old Davis Inlet, I saw Ushiuskueu (Mary Asta) with a pair made like that (made out of hide). This kind, in the picture. These mitts are called pishakeshtish (skin or hide mittens) [pishakan-ashtish].” Munik (Gregoire) Rich

“Caribou hide mitts or leather mitts (pishakeashtashats).” Pinashue Benuen

“Pishakeastishat (hide mittens).” Sheshin (Rich) Rich

Other Info:

MacKenzie lists pishakanashtish and pishakeshtish as “leather or hide mitten.”

“The hands are protected with mittens..made of smoked deerskin. The skin is folded, and along the fold the shape of the mitten is cut so as to leave a part by which the two pieces are joined, and the edges formed in the cutting are sewed together. The thumb is made as follows: A tongue-shaped piece is cut out of the palm and the base of that piece is left as the part to form the under or inner covering for the thumb. A piece is now trimmed that will fit the place cut out and the two parts sewed together..The wrists of the mittens are often gaudily ornamented with strips of red or black cloth. Designs of simple character, such as lines and cross lines producing lattice-work figures, are frequently painted on the back of the mitten. Beads in rows and zigzag lines ornament the wrist, and strands of beads are pendant from the outside seams. The strands are often tipped with tassels of variegated woollen threads. The mittens intended for severe weather are often lined with the thin skin of a foetal reindeer, which has short, soft hair. Great exertion often causes the hands to perspire and moisten the hair, and this freezes the instant the mitten is removed from the hand, and is liable to freeze the fingers within it” – Turner (1979[1894]:121-122).

“The single pair of mittens is made of tanned and bleached caribou skin lined with duffel. Each mitten is cut from a single piece with the seam running along one side, across the top, and half way down the other side, with the front of the thumb a separate piece; the sewing is with sinew. Around the wrist is a band of ornamentation in black, red, yellow, green, and translucent tan pony beads. The lower edge is trimmed with printed cotton cloth..A caribou skin loop has been sewn at one side of the opening, suggesting that the mittens were worn suspended from a cord around the neck” – VanStone (1985:28-29).

Drapeau (1999) lists ashtish as “mitaine, gant (mitten, glove)” and pishakanashtish as “mitaine de cuir (leather mitten).”