Parka
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.A Native woman in Alaska used dried seal intestines to make this garment, and its beauty and functionality honors the creature’s soul. The beaks and feathers of the auklet, a small seabird, appear at regular intervals along the seams and provide a striking contrast to the parchment-like surface; fur trims the hem and cuffs. Hunters wore coats such as this over fur parkas for protection against the wind and snow.
Artwork Details
- Title: Parka
- Artist: Edna Oktokiyuk (Yupik)
- Date: ca. 1910
- Geography: Made in St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, United States
- Culture: Yupik, Native American
- Medium: Marine mammal intestine, auklet beaks and feathers, tanned leather, and seal fur
- Dimensions: 44 × 61 in. (111.8 × 154.9 cm)
- Credit Line: Loan from the Charles and Valerie Diker Collection
- Object Number: L.2018.35.29
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing