Moccasins

Description:

Wrap around ankle moccasins hand-sewn with smoked caribou hide, broadcloth and decorated with bric-a-brac.

References:

Nutshimiu-atusseun. nd. Akuanutin Nutshimiu-aimun. Sept-Iles: Centre de formation Nutshimiu Atusseun. Carole Lévesque. 1976. La culture matérielle des Indiens du Québec: une étude de raquettes, moccasins et toboggans. Canadian Ethnology Service Paper No. 33. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada. Lynn Drapeau. 1999. Dictionnaire Montagnais-français. Sainte-Foy: Presses de l’Université du Québec. MacKenzie Shoebox dictionary 2003. Lucien M. Turner. 1979[1894]. Indians and Eskimos in the Quebec-Labrador Peninsula. Quebec: Presses COMEDITEX. James W. VanStone. 1982. The Speck Collection of Montagnais Material Culture From the Lower St. Lawrence Drainage, Quebec. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History. Fieldiana, Anthropology New Series No.5. 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. Alika Podolinsky Webber. Canadian Museum of Civilization. Coll. (III-X-42M). Field Notes from N.W.R. and Davis Inlet, Labrador (Naskapi), Summer 1960. B170R

Innu Narrative:

“Miniskuesh and Monique [married to Nuk Nui] were my older sisters. It was Monique who taught me how to make asheshin (upper & centre part of the moccasin). My other sister, Theresa, was married [to Tshishennish Pasteen] and had her own family before I was born. Sometimes I make kaputshess (diamond shape), when there aren’t enough beads. My father used to walk everyday in the country. He would talk about the star. He wouldn’t tell us what the star looked like. It was his secret. That’s why I make different kinds of stars, because we don’t know the true shape of the star. They look nice on moccasins. I get lots of compliments about them..my mother was very poor. But she did make things like moccasins and clothing.” Nishapet Rich

“Ushpuakeasina – moccasin with leggings. The women made them. Some were made and decorated with beads. Mr. White provided the beads to the women. The women used to sell their moccasins to Mr. White. Lots of women would make them. Our old grandma, Mary Jane, would make them, and another old grandma who we know as Mananiss used to make them. They would make this type of moccasin, and would sell them to Mr. White. And buy some more [material] to make other crafts.” Pinashue Benuen

“The moccasins are wrapped around, to make sure that the snow doesn’t get into your feet. That’s why the moccasins are made like that. Uaskakunesini is the name of those moccasins, and the other name is uaskatutinekuatani. If someone asked you to make moccasins with the uakaskusenikataman, you would make them in this style, and they want that other type made with the uaskastamen (wrap around). This is for the wrap-around style of moccasin. The older women used to make them. The women from Uashat made that type of moccasins. They used caribou hide for everything. They made hats, mitts and moccasins. Everything was used mostly with caribou hide. These designs may be used with embroidery thread or stencil. The coloured material was used on that for decorating moccasins too. The colours from the material would be cut out and sewn onto the caribou hide. These are called kuekuatsheu mitasha (leggings). And they would make moccasins separately from kuekuatsheu mitasha. The moccasins are made like the wrap-around style ones (uaskatutnekuamukupan).That is probably what these ones are made like, and they are called kuekuatsheu mitasha (leggings).” Matinen (Selma) Michelin

“Kuekuakueunuani (ankle wrap). Kuekuakueunutshi massin (ankle wrap moccasins) is the name. I wonder what these are called? These are called kantutikuantshi (caribou hunting boot or moccasin), the ones with one piece. I heard that this kind of painted moccasins existed in the past, and that people painted, and designed artwork on clothing. They would make red paint called unaman. Yes, uekuakueuna (ankle wrap moccasins). These, you just slip on, and mitash (leggings) are the ones that don’t sew on together with moccasins. Yes, these are called pishakassin (moccasins). We were very poor. I can’t remember wearing shoes on my feet in the summer. We didn’t have blankets. We made moccasins with caribou hide and we used caribou hide for blankets to keep warm.” Munik (Gregoire) Rich

“These were not made like that. People wore the plain moccasins. They were not made fancy like that and they didn’t have any beadwork on them. Uekakueuna (wrap around ankle). These prevent the snow from going inside your moccasins. You can make it thicker [by wrapping it] around and tie it on [tightly?]. Uekakueuna. These were worn too, but the moccasin is not sewn with it.” Pinamen (Rich) Katshinak

Other Info:

Nutshimiu-atusseun lists moccasin as pishakanessin. MacKenzie lists the “duffle moccasin liner” as pitupiueshikan, the “collar of a moccasin” is a uashkakunassin, while the “top front part of a moccasin,” the “vamp,” is asheshin. Drapeau lists the “partie plissée du mocassin (pleated part of the moccasin)” as pitshikuenikan, the vamp as asheshin, “mocassin de cuir, de peau as pishakanassin, mocassin montant à la cheville leather moccasin, (skin moccasin as pishakanassin, ankle moccasin as uashkakunessin), and “bordure autour de la cheville sur un mocassin (border around the ankle on a moccasin)” as uashkakuneshtaikan.

Carole Lévesque (1976:41) has suggested an arbitrary three-way classification of moccasins – simple (covering the foot only), ankle (attached to the ankle with a lace), and knee (covering the leg and attached below the knee). According to Lévesque, “le mocassin plissé (la partie autour de l’empeigne est froncé, l’empeigne étant cette section du mocassin qui compose le dessus du pied, habituellement décoré et cousu après que le reste du mocassin soit assemble) est le plus répandu sur le territoire de la forêt boréale, indépendamment du fait qu’il soit simple, à la cheville ou au genou. Il nécessite, cependant, au moins deux morceaux de peau pour sa fabrication: l’empeigne et la base the pleated moccasin (the part around the vamp is gathered, the vamp being that section of the moccasin that makes up the top of the foot, usually decorated and sewn after the rest of the moccasin is assembled) is the most widespread in the boreal forest, regardless of whether it’s simple, ankle or knee-length. It does, however, require at least two pieces of skin for its manufacture: the vamp and the base).”

“Jusque vers les années 1950, 1960, la majorité des populations étudiées portait encore le mocassin toute l’année. Fait essentiellement de caribou ou d’orignal (la peau de caribou étant préférée pour sa durabilité), le mocassin était le seul genre de chaussures disponsible. Un chasseur pouvait en user dix paires dans l’année (Until the 1950s and 1960s, most of the populations studied still wore moccasins all year round. Made primarily of caribou or moose (caribou hide being preferred for its durability), the moccasin was the only type of footwear available. A hunter could wear ten pairs in a year).” (Rogers, 1967)

“Assemblés à l’aide d’une aiguille et de fil par les femmes, on les fabriquait avec ou sans rebord, garnis de broderies, de fourrure ou de franges, lacés ou non, etc..Le mocassin simple était davantage porté pendant l’été, autant par les homes, par les femmes que par les enfants. Dès l’automne on utilisait de preference les moccasins lacés, à la cheville, avec rebord de peau ou de cotton, pour assurer une meilleure protection contre le froid. L’hiver, selon le même principle, ce sont les moccasins doubles de fourrure, à la cheville ou au genou, qu l’on portait. (Assembled with a needle and thread by women, they were made with or without edges, trimmed with embroidery, fur or bangs, laced or unlaced, etc. The simple moccasin was worn more during the summer, by men, women and children alike. From autumn onwards, moccasins laced at the ankle, with a skin or cotton edge, were preferred for better protection against the cold. In winter, following the same principle, double fur moccasins were worn at the ankle or knee…”)

“Pour créer les différents dessins, on utilisait des modèles découpés dans de l’écorce de bouleau assez mince. Avec un morceau de charbon on dessinait, sur l’empeigne à décorer, le contour du modèle choisi. Ces modèles représentaient des fleurs, des plantes ou des motifs géométriques. Tous ces dessins étaient brodés: vers le 17è, 18è siècle, avec des piquants de porc-épic et du crin d’orignal, plus tard (19è, 20è siècle) avec des perles de verre et du fil de cotton. Des cas, assez rares cependant, où le dessin était peint sur l’empeigne, ont pu être notés. (To create the various designs, patterns were cut from fairly thin birch bark. A piece of charcoal was used to draw the outline of the chosen pattern on the vamp to be decorated. These patterns represented flowers, plants or geometric motifs. All these designs were embroidered: around the 17th and 18th centuries, with porcupine quills and moosehair, and later (19th and 20th centuries) with glass beads and cotton thread. There have been rare cases, however, where the design was painted on the vamp.” Carole Lévesque (1976:40-43)

“The moccasins..are rarely ornamented, except with beads on the tongue or else with a strip of red, blue, or black cloth. In the construction of a moccasin the measure of the foot is taken if it is intended for a person of importance or if the maker attempts to do skillful work. The sole is cut out first in the shape of a parallelogram. The edges are turned up and creases made around that portion of the deerskin which surrounds the toes and a part of the side of the foot. The creases are made perpendicular in order to take up a portion of the slack of the skin. They are held in position by a stout sinew thread run through each one and around to the other side to prevent them from separating and thus ‘bagging’ over the toes. This is the most particular part of the work and on these stitches depend the skill of the maker. The sides of the foot and heel are not creased as the heal-seam takes up the slack for the posterior portion of the moccasin. The tongue of the moccasin is a piece cut into a shape resembling that member with the tip of it over the toes. This is sewn to the edges of the creases, and between it and the creases is often sewn a narrow welt of skin or cloth. The superfluous edges of the slipper-shaped shoe are now trimmed off, and the top, or portion to cover the ankle, is sewn on.