A few days into my stay in Nuuk, Greenland, I began to notice women of all ages carrying bags made of the same material but in a variety of shapes and colors. Bags varied from medium sized purses trimmed in leather to smaller heart shaped clutches dyed red.
At home, sealskin was usually something found at bazaars or in gift shops in the form of traditional Alaska Native slippers, mittens, and the occasional hat. But here it was used for the construction of handsome handbags and well-tailored vests, jackets, boots and the like. I noticed that fur is also dyed in vibrant colors and used as inlays to accent various pieces.
Of course, the witnessing of a sealskin fur market was a new experience in and of itself because the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 bans such markets in the United States. The act prohibits the harassing, hunting, capturing and killing of whales, porpoises, dolphins, seals and sea lions in the United States.
As expected, there are certain exceptions to this piece of legislation; the one that is most familiar, is the taking of marine mammals by Native people for subsistence purposes or for the purpose of creating and selling authentic native articles, crafts and clothing. Regardless, I couldnt help but be intrigued by the existence of a market, demand and governmental support for something Id always seen as the product of a particular lifestyle.
Eskimo Pels, Panigiit, and Great Greenland are a few companies that manufacture sealskin goods. But Great Greenland seems be the most established, possibly because the company was started in 1975 as The Tannery of Greenland. Then in 1982 the Greenlandic Home Rule government purchased the entire establishment and in 1991 renamed it, Great Greenland A/S.
According to Martin Christensen, from Great Greenlands finance office in Qaqortoq, South Greenland, Greenlanders used to be very dependent on the income derived from sealskin sales. However, the market for such furs has experienced its share of turbulence, and as a precautionary measure, the government subsidizes the prices given to hunters.
Once these two issues have been settled, hunters from the coast all around Greenland supply the contracted number of skins and also negotiate the final price for the raw sealskin. The value is heavily dependent on the species of seal. Meanwhile the meat is either eaten by the hunter and his family or sold at local markets.
In Greenland Today, a book published in 2006 as an attempt to expel myths about Greenland, that despite seal hunting becoming a secondary form of income to the fish industry, the limited number of seal hunters occupy the lowest income strata in their society. This book also notes that Great Greenland purchases 72,000 skins annually.
Once the skins have been sold to Great Greenland, they are finely tanned and either sold to other businesses or fashioned into the items described above. Recently, Great Greenland has been working with European designer Bente Houmann Andersen to create a number of collections that are marketed to Eastern Europe, including Russia and Denmark. Only recently has the collection begun combining sealskin with other materials such as leather, fish skin and other textiles. Christensen also noted that a number of the skins are used as trims in a variety of winter clothing.
Rena Skifte, the Head of Secretariat for Inuit Circumpolar Council, told me that the first weekend of December marks an epic fashion show where Great Greenland showcases some of their finer pieces just in time for the holiday season and the colder months of the year.
I look forward to seeing the diversity of items to hit the runways in Nuuk, and one jacket in particular, which I shall never forget. It was a stunning chocolate colored, sealskin jacket, cut to fit as a belted trench coat and hit perfectly mid-thigh; needless to say it begged to be purchased.
Alas, neither my Lewin nor my Rasmussen Fellowships provided a stipend generous enough to cover the costs of a 12,520 Danish Krone coat, which converts to about $2,300. I know seeing it strutted across a stage come this December will fill me with heart-wrenching desire for something so traditionally trendy.
More from Greenland next week...
