Eric away for ten days

  • Degraissage peau de phoque a l'ecole

Only girls on board for ten days! Regarding weather, we get white out, snow, blizzard... but an exciting week at school: a kamiks lesson is given by the elders, they pass on their knowledge. For 3 weeks, Leonie's Inuktitut teacher gives us a lively course. Each class comes to attend (young kids) or try (older students) all manufacturing steps. Degreasing seal skins, cleaning, drying them with frames, tanning manually. Same thing for the soles with the famous bearded seal, which skin is black when shaved and is so thick and waterproof. Each step is as precise as tricky! Then comes the stitching, preceded by the softening that gives cramps to hands! I'm lucky to participate in this workshop, it's an opportunity to change the soles of my kamiks, to give a hand and to practice these traditional techniques. I also notice the nuances that exist among villages. Aurore is happy to join me, and I discover how comfortable she is in her school environment. Leonie is proud to observe her mom at work, during her course of Inuktitut!