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For over a year, Jenessa has been working on making these authentic moccasins and she was delighted to showcase them for us recently! My, were we ever amazed!
First, she was involved in skinning the elk hide. Next, she moved onto the detailed process of fleshing, liming, graining, rinsing, and tanning with brains (the traditional method for tanning hides). Then came the ringing, the stretching, and, finally, the smoking of the hide--which adds incredible aroma and colour to the hide, in addition to helping to waterproof it and keep it flexible in the case of it ever getting wet.
She smoked it during our family camping trip in the Kakwa Rocky Mountains in June 2019 (you can watch the smoking process here beginning at 18:00.)
These gorgeous moccasins are completely hand sewn. Jenessa also custom designed the pattern to fit her feet, and she did the beading all herself which took around eight hours in total!
These particular moccasins are not for sale, but if you would like a custom made pair of moccasins or mukluks for yourself, please do contact us. Julia (Jenessa's twin sister) specializes in making moccasins.
So! if you would like to experience the thrill of going barefoot without getting splinters in your feet or rocks in your toes--if you hanker to walk in a healthier and more traditional way and want to get connected to the earth's invigorating and energizing magnetism--well! what are you waiting for? Send us an email at thebiegelfamily@gmail.com.
We'd love to hear from you!