Gwich'in Name

  • Teetł’it Gwich’in Name

    Tr’iinin khaii gogwadàl’
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  • Gwichya Gwich’in Name:

    Tr’iinin dazhoo gwadàl’
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  • Vuntut Gwitchin Name:

    Chaa khaii gwich’aa
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“In the past, they really depended on the caribou and its skin, too. That’s why, in the month of August, when there were caribou, they looked to kill lots of caribou for the skins. They made caribou-skin pants, and with calf skins, they made dresses. With the slightly larger skins, they made mitts and caribou-skin mukluks. The August [caribou skins] are very good for making winter clothing.” — Ellen Bruce, Vuntut Gwitchin Elder, 1997 (Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Collection VG1997-08-07:020-106)

Catalogue Data

Materials: caribou hide, sinew
Dimensions: parka, L. 78 cm; moccasin-trousers, L. 68.5 cm
Collected by: Douglas Leechman, Old Crow, Yukon, 1946. Purchased from Peter Charlie.
Catalogue Number: CMCC VI-I-28

Manufacture and Use

  • About the Artifact

    The hood is made from the head skin of a young caribou, complete with antler buds and ears. The trousers are held...

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  • About the Collector

    Douglas Leechman (1891–1980) was an anthropologist at the National Museum of Canada (now the Canadian Museum of...

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  • Oral History

    “... in the summer, people make sure they get enough meat ... they kill [moose and caribou, and] they clean the...

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Gwadàl’ Zheii: Belongings from the Land has been developed in collaboration with the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute (www.gwichin.ca), Northwest Territories, and the Heritage Branch of the Vuntut Gwitchin Government (www.vgfn.ca), Yukon. Explore the rich cultural heritage of the Gwich’in through artifacts, historic and contemporary photographs, and oral histories and stories told by Elders.

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