mukluk

(mŭk'lŭk')

1. A soft boot made of reindeer skin or sealskin and worn by Eskimos.
2. A slipper with a soft sole resembling this boot.

[Yupik maklak, bearded seal.]

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To keep feet warm and toes intact during even the coldest days of an arctic winter, Native Americans long ago invented mukluks, soft-soled insulated boots that are like moccasins with risers. In the Yupik Eskimo communities of the north, mukluks were traditionally soled with seal-skin, and that is where they got their name, from the Yupik word for a seal. The earliest record of the word in English is from mountaineer Frederick Whymper's 1868 Travel and Adventure in the Territory of Alaska: "Their boots vary in length, and in the material used for the sides, but all have soles of 'maclock,' or sealskin, with the hair removed."

There are about 20,000 Yupik in Alaska today, more than any other Native American people, and most of them speak fluent Yupik as well as English. The Yupik language, which belongs to the Eskimo-Aleut family, has several varieties, the most widely spoken being Central Yupik. The variety known as Central Siberian Yupik, spoken by about eight hundred in Alaska and three hundred in Siberia, is the only language in the world whose original native speakers lived on two different continents.

Aside from mukluk, no other words from Yupik have immigrated to English, perhaps because of the complexity of the language. Yupik is known for attaching extremely long and complicated suffixes to words, so that a single word can be a whole sentence. Here is an example that means "Also, he can probably make big boats": Angyarpaliyugngayugnarquqllu.

If you want more about mukluks, drive to Mukluk Land in Tok, population 935, at mile 1317 on the Alaskan Highway. There, in addition to the Alaska Highway's largest mosquito, you can see the world's largest mukluk.

• Shoes and Footwear - mukluk: heavy sealskin or reindeer boot (Eskimo)

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Ceremonial kamik boots worn by women in Greenland during special occasions.

Mukluks or Kamik (singular: kamak, plural: kamiit) are a soft boot traditionally made of reindeer skin or sealskin and were originally worn by Arctic aboriginal people, including the Inuit and Yupik. The term mukluk is often used for any soft boot designed for cold weather and modern designs are often similar to high-top athletic shoes. The word "mukluk" is of Yupik origin, from maklak, the bearded seal, while "kamik" is an Inuit word. In the Inuipiaq language the "u" makes an "oo" sound, and so the spelling "maklak" is used with the same pronunciation.

Sealskin kamik

Another type of boot, sometimes called an Inuit boot, originating in Greenland and the eastern part of Alaska, are made by binding them with animal cartilage and have a centre seam running down to the foot of the boot.

Mukluks weigh little and allow hunters to move very quietly. They may be adorned with pompons and beads and may be lined with furs such as rabbit, fox and raccoon.

The design of the mukluk is used for the industrial manufacture of cold-weather boots, especially paired with a rugged contemporary sole. The key component of its success is its ability to breathe, that is, to allow air exchange. This is an advantage in extremely cold conditions where perspiration may become a factor in frostbite on your feet. The bulkiness paired with their poor performance in slush makes them less ideal for the casual winter wearer.^[1]

Another kind of mukluk, typically made out of wool or a wool-rayon blend, is knitted with a soft leather sole. Often called 'Slipper Socks", these were the traditional mukluk worn by the people of the Hindu Kush Mountains. These soft mukluks can be worn by ballet dancers in place of leg/foot warmers, for a comfy pair of slippers to warm up your feet at home, or around a warm camp fire during a summer camping trip.

Modern Aboriginal-owned companies continue to make authentic designs that use natural furs and skins.

References

Look up mukluk in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

1. ^ John, Long (2000). The Complete Hiker. ISBN 0071358188. 

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