In this particular slide a Copper Eskimo couple is shown wearing their traditional winter clothing. The costume consisted of two coats of caribou fur, one with the fur worn next to the body, the other with the fur facing outside. Two pairs of breeks reaching below the knee were similarly worn, as well as two pairs of caribou stockings. Between the two pairs of stockings was worn a pair of fur slippers, their outer shoes being made of sealskin. The entire outfit for an adult required approximately seven caribou skins. Suits for men and women were quite similar. The woman's coat however was cut very large in the shoulders and the hood was fashioned into a bag shape to allow room for the women to carry their babies.
These "Blond Eskimos" were discovered by Stefansson in 1910. Although he denied calling them "Blond", his observation that their colouring was lighter than other Inuit led him to suggest that they were descendants of European colonists who had lived in Greenland in the 13th century. Modern science casts doubts upon this hypothesis. It is more likely that their fair features are due to local climatic conditions. Nevertheless, the news of a lost white tribe made sensational headlines. This photograph was taken either by Stefansson himself or by George H. Wilkins, the official photographer on the expedition.
Courtesy: McIntosh and Otis, from The Friendly Arctic, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, (New York: Macmillan, 1921)
