Making a pair of sealskin kamiks is a complicated process. Once a seal has been taken and skinned there are many other steps before you end up with a pair of boots.

The skin of young ringed seals is preferred for making boot legs, but skin from larger, older seals is used for the soles because it is thicker and does not wear out easily. Once removed from the body, sealskins have to be treated as soon as possible or they become stiff and rot. In cold weather the skin may be prepared over a period of days, but in the warmer spring and summer it must be done within hours. Processed sealskin must also be stored in a cool place.

To begin, the fat must be removed from the sealskin. This is done with a woman's knife called an "ulu." Ulus have a blade that is shaped like a half moon, and a stem that connects it to a handle.

Before the Europeans introduced metals to the north, ulu blades were made from materials such as slate or ivory. The stems and handles were made of wood, bone, or antler. Ulu blades are now made of steel and the stems are made of soft metal such as brass or aluminum with handles of hardwood, antler, ivory, or plastic.

After the fat is taken off of the sealskin, the layers of inner skin called dermis have to be removed using a scraper. Slate and other types of stone used to be used for scraper blades, but today we also see scrapers made of metal with wood, antler or plastic handles. Traditionally, Inuit women scraped the sealskins on their knees or on a flat rock. These days they also use wooden scraper platforms.

Image source: Kativik School Board

Four pairs of sealskin kamiks:
A) Mens' with haired legs, bleached tongues, and black soles.
B) Mens' with haired legs and all black feet.
C) Childrens' black legs and feet.
D) Womens' with haired legs, bleached tongues, and black soles.

There are three kinds of sealskin used to make kamiks:

1. Haired sealskin or seal fur is used for kamik legs and is especially suited for the winter because it is warmer than hairless sealskin. It also stays more flexible in the cold. Kamiks with haired legs are especially popular for children and Elders

It is very important to remove all excess fat on haired sealskin otherwise the hair will turn an ugly yellow. Fat is removed by rubbing the skin into sand. In the winter, the skin can also be firmly ground into the snow and then beaten with a stick after the fat has hardened. Washing in soap and water also works well to remove excess fat.

The other two kinds of sealskin have the hair removed. Some hairless sealskin is black and some is bleached yellowish-white.

2. Black sealskins are made by shaving the hair off of the thin outer skin called epidermis. This type of sealskin is the most waterproof and is used to make the foot sections of kamiks. It also used for the legs in boots that will be worn in very damp conditions.

3. Bleached sealskin is not quite as waterproof as black sealskin because the epidermis is removed along with the hair. There are three methods of bleaching sealskins. The first method is to soak the skin in hot water to loosen the hair and epidermis, which is then scraped off. If the water is too hot it will cook the skin, but if it is too cool it will not loosen the hair. The second method is to roll the fresh sealskin up with the hair inward and leave it in a warm place until the hair slips off easily. The third method, involves soaking the skin in a tub of seal fat until the hair slips off. This method makes the most waterproof skins.

Once the fat and most of the dermis are taken off, the sealskin has to be stretched to make it more elastic. Skins that are used for the kamik soles are not stretched as tightly because they have to be thicker and less elastic. Sealskins are pegged to the ground or lashed to a wooden frame for stretching. After the sealskin has dried on a stretcher, it is washed again and hung in a shady place to dry. Further scraping and wringing makes it very soft.

Whole shaved ring seal skins are softened by hand, but skins from larger seals are not softened until they are cut into boot soles. The soles have to be chewed for softening. It can take all day for someone who is new to making kamiks to soften just one sole by chewing.

Image source:
Pegging sealskins to the ground so they will stretch in preparation for making clothing. Insert: An Inuk woman softens sealskin kamiks by chewing them.