Comparing Olympic parkas: Thinking historically about winter gear

Warm outerwear is essential in a Canadian winter. But many of us take for granted the things we rely on to stay warm and dry. The toques, mitts, scarves, boots, long johns, and jackets almost fade from view as just the “stuff” of daily life.

But thinking historically about our winter gear — in this case, parkas — can bring the everyday to our attention in new and sometimes surprising ways.

Less is known about the people who made the iconic Olympic parka he wore. The Inuk master artist Germaine Arnaktauyok helped design them. Twelve seamstresses from Iqaluit whose names have yet to be confirmed gathered at the Frobisher Bay Arts and Crafts Centre and made 96 parkas for Team Canada. These garments are the product of a longstanding cultural tradition, made by experienced practitioners of traditional craft.

Each parka was made entirely by hand from red wool and decorated with blue Inuit motifs. The hoods were trimmed with white wolf fur, while the buttons were made from caribou antler.

Over time, and with increasing contact with southern settler cultures, Inuit seamstresses started to adapt traditional techniques and master new materials. The introduction of elements such as zippers, synthetic threads, new fabrics, and European tailoring demonstrates the constantly evolving nature of this ancient technology. Through continual adaptation, parkas have remained an enduring symbol of Inuit pride, identity, skill and ingenuity.

Montréal was a hub of winter sports activity. The Montréal Snow Shoe Club was established in 1840 and was the first of its kind in North America. Soon after, organizations for skating, tobogganing, skiing, curling, and other winter pastimes appeared. From the 1880s onwards, places like Halifax, Québec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston, and Winnipeg boasted calendars bursting with winter sport activities.

These early winter sports clubs catered to affluent men and reflected the race, class and gender order of the time. Historian Beverly Lemire notes that while Indigenous technologies — such as winter coats, toboggans, and snowshoes — were essential to these new sport organizations, Indigenous Peoples themselves were largely excluded.

The historic exclusion of Indigenous groups from mainstream winter sport organizations had an enduring legacy. The 1972 Olympic Games represent an important milestone in this regard. Not only did Team Canada wear Inuit-made parkas, but it included Indigenous athletes. Twin sisters and cross-country skiers Sharon Anne and Shirley Firth, members of the Gwich’in First Nation, became the first Indigenous women to represent Canada in the Winter Olympics.

You can watch Sharon Anne Firth describe the pride and excitement she felt as an Olympian in this video from Shaping Canada, an oral history project of the Canadian Museum of History.

At first glance, the 1984 Olympic parka resembles the 1972 Olympic parka. But a closer look reveals important differences. The 1984 version was produced by Sears Canada. It features machine stitching, synthetic fur fringes, and metal zippers. The later parka is more industrial in its design and production, and no longer fully biodegradable.

It is unclear who designed and made the 1984 parkas. It was common for Inuit seamstresses to be hired for piecework by large southern companies like Sears or Eaton’s, but it’s not known if any worked on these parkas. This is one of the questions that I hope to answer in my continuing work with these objects. Regardless of who constructed them, these parkas are notably different in materials and sourcing than the Team Canada outfits from 12 years earlier.