Yesterday the Nokomis Obagijigan project was fortunate to spend some time with Animikiikwe, Christina Woods, from Bois Forte. She shared her split toe moccasin style, pattern, and sewing style she learned from Margaret Hill (Mille Lacs). Christina took the time to look at our attempts-some better than others- at this style, help us learn about materials, puckering, and how we can improve what we are doing.
We are all learners. One of the big pieces of this residency with the Minnesota Historical Society is the opportunity to learn and grow ourselves. As a round toe moccasin maker, we feel confident in our ability to both create, teach, and make patterns from this style. But the split toe, quite frankly, has haunted both Michelle and I. Our goal is to create a set of patterns for this very style as well as uncover the reasons so many of us struggle with this type of moccasin making.
We know there is no replacement for that human to human passing along of information. These gifts are ours and we are grateful any time we are given them. With that said, we do what we can to continue to pass them down, whether in the classes we teach, friends around our kitchen tables, or these digital supports we create for learners.
Stay tuned for our upcoming book release and our blog for what we are working on next.
Leave a comment