Alaska Native Collections – Sharing Knowledge

2001 (1)

Estelle Oozevaseuk: See the patchwork again. I think this is a hair seal [fur trim].(2) I think those are made out of intestine—qaliqenghaaq [strip of dried bearded seal or walrus intestine]. I think this is women’s type.(3) Where’s the opening?

Bill Fitzhugh: There’s the pouch part here. It’s just split open on the side.

Estelle Oozevaseuk: Oh yes, there’s a little [pouch]—women’s tobacco pouch. This one has been ripped open. And they fold it, and there used to be a little piece here [bottom center of bag]. They folded it up this way [rolled pouch (rectangular) up into U-shaped flap] and tied it in the middle. And they’re [worn] on their suit, that reindeer suit they wear [combination suit]. It comes down to this [below knee], the legs are very [rounded]. There’s a little loop [on left side of chest] where they tie that. On the other side [of chest] is their needle case.

[From discussion with Jacob Ahwinona, Estelle Oozevaseuk, Marie Saclamana and Branson Tungiyan (Kawerak, Inc.) at the National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of the American Indian, 5/07/2001-5/11/2001. Also participating: Aron Crowell and Bill Fitzhugh (NMNH) and Suzi Jones (AMHA).]

1. This tobacco bag was discussed along with tobacco bags E280164 and E316663.

2. Hair seals—also called true seals—refer to various types of earless seals (family phocidae) including harbor seals, bearded seals, ribbon seals, spotted seals and ring seals—excluding fur seals (an eared seal).

3. According to St. Lawrence Island Yupik Elder Vera Kaneshiro, this is a iimgutaq [woman’s tobacco bag]. Women used snuff and chewing tobacco. This type of bag was also made from the end of a walrus intestine. A kakilghutaq [woman’s sewing bag] is a long piece of cloth made with or without a pouch that is rolled and tied with strip at its end.

On St. Lawrence Island and around the Bering Strait, women and men carried small decorated bags to hold a personal supply of chewing tobacco, snuff, or smoking tobacco.(1) Hilda Ainingayou of St. Lawrence Island said, “My mother’s tobacco bag was made of a hair-seal poke cut in half. It was filled with that leaf tobacco which was very strong. When people ran out of tobacco, they would cut a piece from the tobacco-permeated bag and chew on it.”(2) Siberian Yupik and St. Lawrence Island Yupik tobacco bags were decorated with geometric cut-out designs made from strips and patches of bleached, alder-dyed, and black skin.(3)

1. Bogoras 1904-09:202; Nelson 1899:284-285

2. Apassingok 1985 Vol. 3:57

3. Bogoras 1904-09:226