Inuit Seal Skin Change Purse Workshop

Join Inuit artisan Denise Bryan on National Indigenous Peoples Day & learn the culture & process of making a seal skin change purse.

“The heart of Inuit culture beats with the rhythm of the Arctic, embracing the land, the sea, and the sky.”

Join us to learn more about Inuit culture and make a beautiful seal fur change pouch / purse. Inuit people have many uses for seal, such as tools made from bones, fur for clothing, and meat to eat.

Materials Provided: Yes

• Seal skin, deer hide, sinew thread, clover needle, 1 zipper.
• The pouch is seal skin on front & deer hide rest all around with a coloured zipper for closure.

Finished pouch is about 5″ by 3″ by 1″

Date: Saturday, June 24th

Time: 1:00 PM -3:00 PM

Registration Price: $100

ABOUT THE ARTIST SHARING THEIR KNOWLEDGE

Denise Bryan, known by her Inuinaqtun name Angasina, is a proud descendant of the Copper-Inuit from the northern community of Kugluktuk, Nunavut (formerly Coppermine, NWT). She now resides in Calgary with her husband, Ken Bryan, the love of her life. Angasina was named by her grandfather after her great-grandmother from Alaska, a name that carries deep familial and cultural significance. Growing up on the land with her family, Denise spent weekends camping, hunting, fishing, and trapping. These experiences were enriched by the making of traditional clothing such as mukluks, seal fur mitts, parkas, and carry bags. Her family also prepared traditional foods like caribou, seal, arctic char, whitefish, and occasionally beluga whale. Denise’s artistic talents were nurtured by watching her grandfather’s drawings and carvings, as well as her grandmother’s sewing. Today, she continues to honor her heritage by creating her own Inuit clothing, drawings, and paintings, keeping her culture alive and vibrant.