Sewing Kit

Sewing kits and hunting pouches were historically essential to both men and women in the Chugach region. Men carried them at sea for emergency qayaq repairs while women used them to store sewing items such as needles and sinew for projects at home. According to Clyda Christiansen, an Elder from Kodiak Island, "All the old people used to have kakiwit (sewing kits). They would take them along wherever they go, just like a handbag." The importance of sewing kits in Sugpiaq communities represents the significance of skin sewing on a daily basis to the point that everyone, men and women, needed to have the knowledge and skills to repair skin fabrics. 

Crowell, Aron L., Amy F. Steffian, Gordon L. Pullar. Looking Both Ways: Heritage and Identity of the Alutiiq People. Fairbanks: Univ. of Alaska Press, 2001. Pg 50