KAMIKS NAME OF STUDENT(S): GLORIA PAMEOLIK GRADE: 5 SCHOOL: LEVI ANGMAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ARVIAT DESCRIBE YOUR PROJECT: MY PROJECT HAD A DESCRIPTION OF WHAT KAMIKS ARE, WHO MAKES THEM, WHO WEARS THEM AND HOW WE MAKE THEM. IT WAS DECORATED WITH CONTRUCTION PAPER AND COLORFUL FLOWERS, AND AN ACTUAL PAIR OF KAMIKS. RESOURCES: HOW DID YOU FIND YOUR INFORMATION? I LEARNED ABOUT KAMIKS THROUGH MY GRANDMA. WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT AS A RESULT OF YOUR RESEARCH? MT GRANDMA HELPED ME LEARN TO SEW AND MAKE KAMIKS. SHE TOLD ME WHO WEARS THEM AND WHY. DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE PROJECT AND WHY YOU CHOSE IT. I CHOSE KAMIKS BECAUSE I WANT TO LEARN ABOUT KAMIKS AND SO I WILL LEARN HOW TO MAKE THEM.
What are Kamiks? Kamiks They are boots that Inuit use. There are sealskin or caribou skin kamiks. They are very warm to wear. They are always hand made by elders and ladies. They are the warmest to wear on your feet in the winter. All Inuit wear kamiks, kids, ladies and men. Why do we make Kamiks? We make kamiks because Inuit can make and they are really good at making Kamiks. They are the first type of shoes we had. They are very warm too. You should always wear them if you go hunting. Inuit had to have kamiks to survive in the old days but they are still good for today. People like to square dance, hunt, dress-up for weddings, and use them for special occasions so we can remember our heritage.
A drawing of caribou skin kamiks. How do we make Kamiks? First you have to measure your feet. 1. make a pattern 2. get seal or caribou skins from your husband or buy them from the radio. 3. soften the skins so we can sew them. 5. make a pattern from cereal boxes. Decide if you want them tall, short or fancy. Make decorations. 6. cut skins with an ulu.
7. sew them together with waxed sinew thread. A picture of a kamik pattern. A picture of the top part of the kamik pattern. When do we wear Kamiks? We wear kamiks anytime mostly in winter when the ground is soft and frozen. Elders like to wear kamiks all the time because they are comfortable in them. We can wear Kamiks hunting or for
dancing. Sometimes we wear them on Special occasions like Christmas, or a birthday. A picture of decorated kamikpuq. Who wears kamiks? Inuit use kamiks because a long time ago they were the only shoes we had. In other countries in the north all Inuit wear kamiks. Some other kamik from Russia, Siberia and Alaska look different from our kamiks but they are still the same. They are warm and comfortable for us and very important to us.
Russian Kamiks. Who makes Kamiks? Elders make kamiks by using a needle and thread, and patterns. Ladies usually make the kamiks because they have been taught by their mothers. When the girls are young they learn how to soften the skins by biting them and they watch their mother or grandmother sewing to learn. They have to teach their daughter so they can make kamiks for their kids, husband and family so they can survive.
An elder and child making kamiks. Why I choose to learn about kamiks? I chose to learn about kamik making because my grandmother and my mom can make kamiks. I would like to learn how to make kamiks when I grow up, they are really nice and warm to wear.