Moccasin Making

Accès

À propos

Kathy Alexander will lead a group of people in making a pair of moccasins from start to finish.

Moccasins are a type of footwear often made of animal hide and traditionally made and worn by various Indigenous peoples in Canada. During the fur trade, Europeans adopted these heelless, comfortable walking shoes to keep their feet warm and dry. Moccasins continue to serve as practical outerwear, as well as pieces of fine Indigenous handiwork and artistry.

The word moccasin loosely translates to “footwear” in various Algonquian languages, such as Plains Ojibwe (makisin or makizinan), Siksika (niitsitsikin) and Plains Cree (maskisin). A type of shoe, boot or slipper, Indigenous peoples historically made moccasins out of animal skins of, for example, caribou, deer, moose, elk and bison.

In areas with harsh winters, such as the Subarctic, Indigenous peoples designed moccasins with soft soles, so as to fit easily into snowshoes. In the Plains, however, Indigenous peoples added hard soles to their moccasins, which helped with walking over rocky land.

Liens

• Town of Shellbrook townofshellbrook.ca

Organisateur

Town of Shellbrook

Shellbrook is situated in the very heart of Saskatchewan’s parkland, and just half an hour south of Prince Albert National Park. Located at the crossroads of Highway 55 and Highway 3, Shellbrook is within commuting distance of two major Saskatchewan cities: 30 minutes to Prince Albert and 90 minutes to Saskatoon.

History

The Town of Shellbrook is named after the Shell Brook, which flows just North of the Town. Shellbrook history dates back to 1882, when settlers began to arrive and settle into two areas that eventually became known as the Parkview District (a Northeast area along the Shell River), and Pleasantville (two miles West of Shellbrook).

A trading center was established on the corner of two homesteads – the Wursters and the Lakes. The Wursters opened a General Store and Post Office in 1905. Shellbrook was incorporated as a Village in 1909. The first train arrived on January 19, 1910. In 1948, Shellbrook’s status changed from Village to Town.