Help dating Inuit (?) handmade parka

[laurenm]

Hi again everyone,
This parka has no labels. Looks 'traditional' to me....any clues to era of construction? Is that wolverine?

Thanks in advance,
Lauren

 

[Jonathan]

Its a duffle liner that has been purposed as an outer winter coat (addition of fur trim), probably for resale down south. By the 1930s duffle coats had become a standard part of the Inuit sealskin Inuit parka as a liner. They were also commonly decorated with sewing notions like ric-rac and seam binding and sometimes embroidery, which you also see on some duffle coats which for summer wear. I would say it is Native made but was intended for trade, probably commissioned by a retailer in Winnipeg or Montreal. I would say 1950s and the fur was added for resale.