The Inuit kamik represents Inuit Peoples and the enduring relationships Inuit communities have maintained with Arctic lands, waters, ice, animals, and seasonal movement across what is now Nunavut. In the Moccasin Identifier collection, this kamik is connected to Iqaluit, Nunavut, and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement of 1993.
The kamik reflects Inuit design knowledge created for extreme Arctic cold. Kamiks may be made with multiple layers and are designed to be warm, durable, and water resistant. Traditionally constructed using sinew, they demonstrate highly specialized knowledge of hides, stitching, insulation, and weather. A seamless hard sole helps prevent water from leaking in, showing the precision and environmental knowledge carried through this footwear.
Materially and artistically, this Inuit kamik carries both protection and personal expression. This design features a furred sealskin shaft with layered block patterns. Purple Saxifrage, Nunavut’s territorial flower, appears as a floral motif around the ankle and along the top of the inner wool liner. The duffle rim includes X-pattern stitching around the top, while the outer sealskin fur layer is held up by the strong structure of many layers and may be fastened with colourful wool tassels.
This kamik also teaches about the significance of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. Unlike the Numbered Treaties discussed elsewhere in the Treaty Summary, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement is a modern land claims agreement connected specifically to Inuit self-determination, land, language, governance, and the creation of Nunavut. Nunavut means “Our Land” in Inuktitut, and the agreement is deeply connected to Inuit use, occupancy, travel, hunting, and care for the land.
This distinction is important because Inuit legal and political relationships with Canada were shaped through different processes than many First Nations treaty relationships. The Treaty Summary’s preface notes that Inuit, First Nations, and Métis Peoples have distinct cultures, languages, governance systems, and relationships to their traditional territories.
For visitors today, this kamik reminds us that Inuit presence in Nunavut is ancient and ongoing. Through its sealskin, layered construction, Purple Saxifrage florals, waterproof design, and careful stitching, the Inuit kamik reflects Arctic knowledge, resilience, and self-determination. In the context of the Moccasin Identifier, it invites learners to understand the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement not only as a legal milestone, but as part of Inuit identity, responsibility, and relationship to Our Land.
This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au gouvernement du Canada.
