Land & Sea: The legacy of Nellie Winters, a much-loved Inuit crafts legend

Nellie Winters has a spectacular view of the ocean from her house near the water in Makkovik.

But as the crew from Land & Sea recently discovered, she seldom gazes out to enjoy it. 

"I can't stay to one thing long. I got to be doing different things all the time, even now," said Winters.

Nellie Winters is 87. From the time she was a child, her hands and mind have been busy pursuing her love of Inuit art and craft.

Her mother taught her to sew and she learned embroidery from the Moravians at residential school in Nain. 

She estimates she has made 500 parkas in her lifetime. And seal skin mitts? Far too many to count.

Years ago, she had a craft store in Makkovik showcasing her work. When she wasn't crafting, Nellie worked as a translator of Inutitut.

She was a businessperson and a mother of 11 children. Her daughter, Blanche Winters, has always been amazed by her mother's stamina.

"She never stopped. She didn't only raise 11 children, she fished, we would go bakeapple picking, she cleaned and then she'd be doing orders for coats, boots, mittens, slippers, whatever she could do," she said. "She was so skilled in everything. Whatever she touched, she was unreal and it was always perfect."

In 1976 Nellie Winters gained special recognition for her work.

She was invited to the Montreal Olympics where she and other Canadian craftspeople showcased their skills. 

From her seat at that exposition, Nellie introduced Inuit craft to people from all over the world. 

"There was a fellow from the States wanted to know if I'd for work for him, you know, make parkas. I said I can't, I haven't got a factory, I only got my hands," said Winters.

But Winters's hands are slowing down some. In 2021, Aunt Nelly, as she is affectionately known, made her last parka. 

The coat, which includes elaborate embroidery work, will be on display at Nunatsiavut's government assembly building in Hopedale in the future. 

In 2021, Memorial University awarded Nellie Winters an honourary doctorate degree, an acknowledgement of her promotion of Inuit culture and tradition.   

Land & Sea profile's her lifelong passion for Inuit art and craft and the influence she has had on her family and her community in a story called Nellie Winters's Legacy. 

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