Parka

Parka is a tailored garment worn by the Inuit to protect head, arms and upper body from the rigours of the arctic climate. Style varied from region to region, and parkas for women had a distinctive cut, distinguishing them from male garments. Young children rode inside the parkas, on their mothers' backs or in the hood. Fur ringed the hood or it could be tightly closed with drawstrings; both served to trap air warmed by the body inside the garment. In the past, caribou hide, often sewn in a decorative mosaic pattern, was used to make the parka. Today, materials imported from the south are most frequently used to construct the garment.