Goose Foot Basket With Appliqued Birds In Flight

“First of all, it takes three birds to make a basket. Some people in our community eat them, so to make good use of the feet I started making baskets. My late grandmother had showed me how to make baskets out of the feet. Back then they were used for storing oil lamp wicks called kudlik. They would collect Arctic cotton and store it in the baskets. I usually put cans inside them to give them support and to keep them from breaking easily. I put gloss on them because they are fragile when they dry up. [...] The fur from the seal skin has been scraped off and the white part of the seal skin has been dipped in hot water and then scraped. The gray baskets are made from young Canada Geese feet and the yellowish baskets are made from older Snow Geese feet.”

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Igah Hainnu, interview with Spirit Wrestler Gallery, Vancouver, BC