Mariia Adukanova talks about how boots are made

00:00-11:19

"Well, if there are no more reindeer soon, what kind of boots will you wear when I’m gone? Without reindeer leg skins, there will be no more boots. First, I remove the flesh remains using a scraper with either a stone or metal blade. Then I smear the hide with reindeer droppings to soften it. I also use tree bark, water, and ash from a fungus that grows on trees – a birch fungus, which I burn. I mix all this together and rub it into the reindeer hide. After I’ve applied the mixture, I wrap the hide so it soaks through completely. When everything is ready, I start sewing. There’s still a hole here – I’ll stitch that up, and then I’ll attach the sole. Uncle Vassia brought this piece of leather from Palana – it’s from a bearded seal. I’ll soak it, and once it’s soft, I’ll insert it here. Bearded seal leather is better suited for soles than yours. I always use patterns so I don’t cut the leather wrong and waste it – that would be uneconomical. Here I’ll add a decorative piece to make it look nice. I’ve arranged the pieces of reindeer leg skin so they form a good-looking pattern. We wear these boots for a long time – they don’t fall apart like rubber boots. These fur boots last a long time." (Subtitles ☸︎ + cc)

Recorded by Erich Kasten. Esso, 2000.