Eyak Puppet "Sophie"

This puppet was adapted and adorned by Mary Babic. Named Sophie, this puppet is modeled off of an Eyak woman and is dressed in traditional Eyak attire. She wears a headband with white diamonds on a red background with an eagle feather attached. The adjoining white diamonds symbolize "We All Stand Together." The braids are decorated with dentalium shells, and the shirt reaches below the knees and is decorated with fringe and porcupine quills. A chief's daughter would have dentalium shells attached to the hem of the skirt. Both men and women wear pants made of seal skin and mittens made of muskrats or beavers. Women wear sealskin boots, sometimes bearskin, with the hair turned inside on the sole and the upper part of boot. The boots of chiefs are decorated with beads and porcupine quills on the tops. They use mountain goat sinew for all of their sewing. The puppet's garments represent traditional Eyak attire for women and also serve as a reminder of the following taboos when sewing clothing: women are not allowed to make clothing while their husband is out hunting, women are not allowed to wear fresh sealskins, and land and sea animals are not to be sewn together in one garment. (Description adapted from Mary Babic's Lesson "Storytelling with Your Own Chugach Puppet").