Made in Canada

Materials: Smoked Moosehide, Beaver Fur, Horse Hair
Foot Lining: Wool
Sole: Moosehide
Size: Ladies 8

Horse Hair Wrapping: A Rare and Nearly Forgotten Art Form

Long before seed beads, and even before embroidery, there was horse hair wrapping. Long strands of tail hair was dyed, wrapped around un-dyed hair and stitched to create border piping on moccasins. An all but forgotten art, horse hair wrapping requires time, patience and a steady hand, but it adds an authentic fine detail that is rarely seen on moccasins today.

This pair of old style pointed toe Metis moccasins combines horse hair wrapping with traditional Metis beadwork, on smoke tanned moose hide. They are trimmed in beaver fur, and ribbon ties echo to the days of the fur trade. Many hours went into these moccasins. From the harvesting of the moose and the beaver, to the women who tanned the hide (a ten day process), to the dying of the horse hair, the beading of the vamps, the designing and stitching of the moccasins and, finally, the wrapping of the horse hair to give this beautiful piped edge. This is the work that is required to keep our old style art alive.

About the Artist: Born in Edmonton, Alberta, and now living on the Westcoast of BC, Lisa is a beadwork artist who celebrates her Metis heritage and documents stories through traditional beadwork and contemporary designs. Her beaded garment designs were seen in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, at the same time that her beaded six-foot Aboriginal Art Bottle titled, “The Awakening” was unveiled by Coca-Cola for the same event. Lisa’s beadwork is a part of the permanent collections of the Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives, The Gabriel Dumont Institute Museum and Archives and the Royal Alberta Museum. In 2015, Lisa's beadwork was included in the Venice Biennale as part of Luciano Benetton’s Imago Mundi collective project.  Lisa enjoys bringing traditional teachings and cultural presentations to schools, where she sparks excitement and curiosity about the nature-based art of the Flower Beadwork People.

Photo Credit: In View Images

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