(left) Combination suit, Copper Inuit, Coppermine River, Northwest Territories, early twentieth century.
Canadian Museum of Civilization IV-D-776

(right) Copper Inuit girl.
Photograph: Vilhjálmur Stefánsson, Coronation Gulf, Northwest Territories, early twentieth century.
Canadian Museum of Civilization 20282

The development of clothing from infancy to adulthood reflected a child’s changing role in Inuit society. When the child was old enough to walk, it was dressed in a combination suit made from the complete skin of a young caribou.

As the child matured, clothing increasingly resembled that worn by adults. Girls wore miniature versions of women’s clothing with less defined features. The parka usually had no back pouch, but if there was one, it was used to carry puppies, dolls, rocks, or other items. As the girl grew, so did her parka: the hood, shoulders, and pouch were enlarged and the front and back tails became longer. Young men dressed in modified versions of the man’s hunting outfit until they reached adolescence.