Project Atigi

TWO RESPECTED INUVIALUIT DESIGNERS CHOSEN FOR CANADA GOOSE PROJECT

Freda Raddi

Canada Goose

A returning designer to Project Atigi, the parka that Freda made this year is a traditional design called a “Mother Hubbard”.

“In our culture, only women and girls would wear this style,” she says. Freda’s own mother taught her to sew, and she says she’s her inspiration to this day. She didn’t take up Delta braiding—the distinctive embellishment you see on her Project Atigi parka—until her twenties. “My mother’s way of teaching was to tell me to watch her,” Freda remembers. “But she would keep getting up to go do things, which I think she knew would annoy me, and force me to learn to do it myself.” —WORDS BY PROJECT ATIGI/CANADA GOOSE

Lena Kotokak

Canada Goose

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT PROJECT ATIGI?

First, it came out on Facebook; people were asking me to apply. I know I missed the project last year, and Elizabeth Kolb (from IRC) was really advocating for me to try to get involved with it. So once I did, I got all the information and all they needed was a letter of interest. I wrote the letter, and from there, they accepted it! I was excited when I found out, 'cause I wanted to do this the previous year, but I had just started my job at ICRC and I just wanted to focus on work then.

WHY DID YOU APPLY?

Project Atigi interested me because it would promote us, Inuvialuit. We had just one Inuvialuk in the whole group last year, and there's mainly people from the Eastern Arctic. I know there's lots of really good Inuvialuk seamstresses who could do it as well. I'm hoping that they get more interested so they can promote our sewing and knowledge. A lot of the parkas that we make are traditional, ah?

HOW IS OUR DESIGN DIFFERENT FROM EAST?

Ours has its own identity because of the ‘symbolics’ of the design. For us, we've been known to wear the walrus tusks forever! You look at the old pictures—there, you can see it's really detailed because they used caribou skin. The white part, they used from the belly, so you could really see it in the pictures.

WHAT OR WHO WERE YOU INSPIRED BY?

My naanak Lena Kuptana—she's wearing a parka like that in a photo. So, that's what made me think of the design, as the inspiration. My inspiration is my family, right? And she is part of my family. My husband, he's a hunter and trapped a bit when he was young—he always needed clothes to go hunting, and his mother did a lot of his sewing at the time. I just observed. From there, I started sewing for my own kids while she was still alive. She’s passed on since then. My son was five when I really started sewing for him. Just keep sewing and sewing, and you just keep getting better—that's what you do! My family is really my inspiration.

For us, we've been known to wear the walrus tusks forever! My naanak Lena Kuptana—she's wearing a parka like that in a photo. So, that's what made me think of the design, as the inspiration… It's really detailed because they used caribou skin. The white part, they used from the belly.

WHAT WAS THE PROJECT'S PROCESS?

I had to design a parka, and mine were all men's! There wasn't a chance for me to make a women's one. For me, I rarely ever do men's parkas—my focus is mainly on women's parkas. Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to showcase that, so that was one of the downsides of the experience. I guess it's just because of the sales, and you need to have all the different sizes; I had to make one small, two mediums, a large, and an extra-large.

They all had to be the same design, but a little different. Like I said, the tusk design refers to my naanak's parka. Delta braid used to be so popular here, many years ago. I just started learning how to do that, so I decided to put that delta braid in because it's like a dying art. But there's lots of ladies here who are really interested in learning how to do that. They had a program couple years ago, and there are quite a few who caught on right away. There's lots of people who are learning now, and a few experts out there, like Molly Goose from Tuk. She used to work for Christina Felix Parkas. She does really nice work! There's also Annie Felix, who does her unique way of doing the delta braid— it's just beautiful. Freda Raddi, too!

I felt a little overwhelmed at the start of the process, because there was a lot of work—like a lot of work! But when it was all done, I just felt good to be done! They were done right on time and sent to Toronto, then I think it went around Canada, the States, and Paris. Apparently, my parkas sold in one day, right?! People were telling me they sold in one day! I felt good because I thought—gee—maybe people won't even try to buy them since they were so expensive! They sold them for $2,500 CAD…for one! They said that they would give proceeds to Inuit organizations—like ITK (Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami).

WOULD YOU DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN?

I would do it again—but I would also encourage other people to apply, because we only have a few people who have had the opportunity to showcase their sewing, and we have so much people that can do that as well. I would really encourage others to apply next year!