Verdun workshop teaches crafting of Inuit amautik

Just like her mother did for her, Elizabeth Ujarak Appadoo uses an amautik to tote around her four-month-old daughter, Aya, through the bitter winter cold. 

Ujarak Appadoo is now taking part in a 10-week workshop in the city's Verdun borough that's teaching the craft of making the traditional Inuit parka.

•  The changing traditions of the Inuit parka

The amautik, also called the amauti or amautiq, has a pouch for carrying an infant. The cold-weather baby carrier has been made and used by women for centuries.

"I was carried in an amautik, and I carry my daughter in amautik and hopefully she'll carry her children," Ujarak Appadoo said, adding that she finds it better to the baby carriers many parents in Montreal use.

"A lot of what I see here is coats, and then extenders, and then a carrier, and then you dress your child really warm and they have a coat and you have a coat. So in terms of gear, it's really simple. You just have one garment, you put the child in and you're ready to go."

Minnie Snowball leads the workshop, showing participants how to sew the garment. The amautik used to be made from animal skins, but the process has been updated over time.

Snowball has been sewing amautiit since she was 15 years old, so she's had time to hone her skills. 

"For making the amautik, I take less than four days," she said. 

But for beginners like Sam Hickey, they'll first have to brush up on some basic sewing skills.

• How one Inuk man's parka connects him to his community

"I've never used a sewing machine before so that should be a challenge," he said. "I've never made [an amautik] before, but I'm pretty excited about it."

What Hickey lacks in experience, he makes up for in enthusiasm.

"My sister's going to have a baby next month, so it's going be a little surprise for her."

Find out more about the workshop and other events organized by Saturviit Inuit Women's Association here.