586 Pliysiolo[.!ir Adjustme11t lo Cold mul Altitude pn•s<>nt day Arctic people. The figurine how­ Clothing, Its ever is of Paleolithic age and is of interest as showing that tailored skin clothing was worn as early as 20,000 years ago.2 Evolution and According to a written communication dated May 1967 from James A. Ford, PhD, Development By Curator for the Florida State Museum, in Europe: the Inhabitants The hanged individuals found in the peat bogs of Denmark wore long nightgown-like woolen cloaks with hoods and Mark Twain in of the Artie the Connecticut Yankee makes the point that the Eurnpean peasants of the Middle Ages Robert L. Woodbury, wore kilts and nightgowns, a fashion retained Abrrdeen Prol'ing Ground, kid hy jJE>ople like the Scottish highlanders and the Greek Evizones. Fitted tailored clothing was just coming into the vogue in court circlPS at ARCHAEOLOGY and history provide the time of Queen Elizabeth. The adoption of fascinating material concerning the evolu­ trousers as we know them today took centuries. tion and development of clothing in most Sir Walter Raleigh wore very short pants or cultures. According to a written communica­ small clothes and the close-fitting hose were at· tion of June 1967 from Henry B. Collins of tached to these pants as high up the thigh as the Smithsonian Institute· possible. By the time of George Washington, Archaeology reveals nC1thing as to the develop­ breeches had descended to the knees and by ment of Arctic clothing-. The frozen ground has Abe Lincoln's day they were dragging the preserved fragments of skin boots, pieces of ground and had a strap under the instep to sewed skin, sinew thread. c,tc. but not enough to hold them down. show what the whole f'.arments looked like. Seal The adoption of tailored clothing on the skin boots. nn the other hand, appear to have Amerindian side had a similar histocy but did been exactly like those of today. I am speaking not proceed so far. By the 17th century, Wood­ here of lx>ot fragments excavated at old (1,000 land Indians wore leg-length leggins, but they year<; or slightly older) sites in Alaska and did not go further than this. Greenl:md. So. all we can say is that the pre­ European women retained the skirt but at historic Eskimos wore tailored ><kin clothing of the prE>sent date do seem to appear to be mak­ tht> same kind very likely :>~ they wear today. ing it disappear. American Indian women a'l Th•' only ~tudy of the de'.el,,pment of clothing­ far back as 3000 B.C. also used a wrap-around ty;.e' in the Arctic is Gudman Hatt's classic skirt. A cloak for cold weather completed the mon ··~raph.1 This is a technical study leading American costume. to a h. •vothesi>' of the original forms and their The major problem of clothing for use in ex­ devel0pCTwnt into the dothing patterns of treme cold has been insulation first, of course. present ,\ retie peoples. , . but of equal and perhaps even greater impor­ Several 3ronzE> <\ge burials have been found tance is wind resistance and ventilation. Also in Siberia, ~.,:; vaults C;ontaining skeletons in important to people in hunting and herding wpll preserve<.: ,,kin clothin7. but again these cultures is bulk and durabilitv. It seems para­ garments do not differ from those known todav. doxical. but the greatest diflk~lty under Arctic The most interesting t;!td is an ivory figurine ~f conditions is to keep the body cool while exer­ a woman WE>aring a -;kin garment like that of cising. In the Western clothing tradition this is donp by taking off overcoats, sweaters. etc. C'•1b;_nitted for public>itior, Od rn. 1967: arcepted The E5kimo have developed what is by far •.I •IIH? t, 1968. the best solution to this problem. 1·~m the t:S Army Limited \Var Laboratorv. ..\ber'-'Pen Proving Ground. Md. · The late Frederick R. Wulsin, PhD, an­ Read hefore the Symposium on Cir<'umpolar thropologist at Harvard and later at Tufts Health Related Problems, University of Alaska C-0llege, Alash:•l. .July '.!.7. 1867, · University in Massachusetts wrote a fine re­ Reprint reque.<ts to Environment and Survival view, ''Adaptations to Climate Among Non­ Branch. US Anny Limited \Var Laboratorv, Aber­ European Peoples."~ Some extracts follow: deen Proving Ground, Md '.11005 (1\-fr. WOOdburyl. The Eskimo ha<> dPvPloped a very specialized Arch Enr•irorz Health-Vol fl. Ort 1968 CLOTHING-WOODBURY 587 culture to meet this difficult environment. He shake.... But when you go north from the can have no agriculture, and the dog is his only Slavey and Dog-Rib Indians to the Eskimo domestic animal. He is a hunter by necessity, country the conditions suddenly change. You and moves his residence in accordance with are now in contact with a people who have (or season and food supply. The seal, the walrus, had, till they became "civilized") a system of and the caribou are generally the most impor- living almost perfectly adapted to a cold cli­ tant food animals, but this varies from place to mate, while the northern Indians have a system place. With minor exceptions everything is eat- almost unbelieveably ill-adapted to the condi­ en. Seal blubber is used for fuel. Wood is tions in which they live. scarce, for over most of the Eskimo area there An example of adaptive Indian clothing are no trees, and driftwood is not available is seen among the Kutchin Hunters of the ewrywhere. In its absence, bone supplies the Fort Yukon area who wore a caribou skin fnunework for boats and sledges, and whale parka adapted from the Eskimo, complete ribs furnish roof beruns. There is a little native with the long tail for insulation when squat­ iron in Greenland, and native copper in parts ol Canada. These are beaten into knife blades. ting or sitting. EBewhere bone, walrus, ivory and stone have Eskimo clothing has always been made of to serve, and soft soapstone is used to make skins and furs, primarily because these were blubber lamps and cooking vessels. Sinew and the only materials available. The experi­ hide provide thread, thongs, ropes and lashings. ences of explorers have shown that they are Fur, hide and gut are made into clothing, boots, also the best materials when comfort and waterproofs, boat covers and tents. Earth. warmth for weight are the criteria. They re­ stone, wood, whalebone and snow serve for quire skill in making and repairing, as well building materials, with ice or gut for windows. as a certain wisdom in use, which has to be A coating of ice is used to smooth and protect learned. Besides suitable clothing, the Eski­ sledge runners. Moss supplies lamp wicks and mo have also developed excellent slit gog­ diapers, and is placed inside footgear. The Eskimo winter house and the snow hut gles to prevent snow blindness. are examples of perfect adaptation to environ- The winte~ costume, for both me? and ment. Many primitive peoples fail to do as well. w<;>men, consists of ~o layers: outside, a The Athabascan Indians near Great Bea,r ,.-l'Ong loose-hooded shirt, trousers, boots and Lake, who live in just as severe a climate as the mittens, worn with the hair out, and inside, Eskimo, formerly inhabited conical Indian tip- an undershirt, drawers and socks worn with is, covered with caribou skins, even in winter. the hair in. Caribou skin is the most widely These dwellings are cold, drafty. and smoky. used material for both layers, and probably Steffansson4 has described this people's the best but others are often substituted. ciathing and habitation as follows: The Esknno of Northwest Greenland, for The Indians (other than the Eskimo or Eski- instance, wear undershirts of birdskin (auk mo-Indians) like Europeans, generally wear or little auk), and trousers of polar bear ~hing ill-suited for keeping the body w~rm. skin, if they are men, short trunks of fox fur, . most northerly of the Athabascan Indians, if they are women. Sealskin is much used ~instance, appear to suffer a great deal from almost everywhere, especially for outer gar- lliie winter I traveled for several months ments and boots. It is not as warm as cari­ \\ilh the Dog-Rib and yellow Knife Indians. I bou but it is stronger and more waterproof. found they were so poorly clad, that during the In a taped interview with Admiral Donald day when out of door,;, thev had to be continu- MacMillan by Dr. Terris Moore, DCS,5 the ally moving, for if they st~pped for even half use of Greenland Eskimo clothing on the an hour at a time they became so chilled that trail and in snow house camps on the polar their hands became numb. The Indians are sea ice was discussed. '"eally in continual/fear a large part of the win- Dr. Moore was primarily interested in the ter of ceasing from active motion when out of fact that on Peary's polar dash his men slept doors. In the evening their wigwams are cheer- in their clothes successfully and did not use ful with a roaring fire but by no means com- sleeping bags. Also, he used the interview as fOJtabJe, for while your face is almost scorched furth h with the heat of the flames, your back has hoar- an opportunity to discover er tee - f~ forming upon it. At night the Indians go niques which were not revealed in Peary's to sleep under their blankets, covering up their Secrets of Pow Travel, 1917.