Traditional knowledge and practices used to produce clothing and shelter

Discussion Discuss as a class the variety of skilled trades that it takes to build homes. How many of the products are synthetic, naturally occurring, or come from other countries.

Clothing and Shelter Clothing and shelter today is taken for granted. Clothing and Shelter are usually purchased and manufactured by others, not made by the individuals that use them.

Clothing First Nations and metis peoples of Saskatchewan and Canada had to deal with harsh environments for thousands of years to survive, they made use of the resources available to them. Clothing was made from animal skins that were tanned and sewn together using the animals sinew. Hides that were waterproof, such as walrus or seal skins were used by some indigenous groups for footwear. Other hides such as buffalo are good insulators during the cold winter months.

Clothing and Shelter Indigenous people lived in rhythm with the natural world. The environment in which they lived, played a huge roll in how they built their shelter, clothing, utensils, tools and transporting methods.

Activity Choose a traditional indigenous culture to research Research how each culture developed technologies for shelter and clothing. How did their shelter and clothing allow them to live comfortably in their environment? What factors contributed to the type of clothing they developed? How does this clothing and shelter compare to the type of clothing and shelter you have?