Possum skin cloak | aaarticle.com

The possum skin cloak is the traditional garment of Aboriginal peoples of south-eastern Australia, sewn from many possum pelts and worn fur-inward for warmth. Incised with clan designs on the skin side, it was clothing, blanket, and a record of a person's country and identity.

Overview

A possum skin cloak is made of dozens of brushtail possum skins scraped, stretched, and sewn together with sinew into a large rectangle, the fur turned inward against the body. The hide side is scored and rubbed with ochre in patterns that tell of the wearer’s clan, country, and story.

How it is worn

It is worn draped over the shoulders and wrapped around the body, fur inside for warmth, and served also as a blanket, a baby-wrap, and a burial shroud. A cloak grew with its owner from childhood, skins and designs added over a lifetime, and was buried with them at death.

History

Possum skin cloaks were widespread in Victoria, New South Wales, and beyond before colonisation disrupted the tradition, and only a few old cloaks survive in museums. Since the 1990s Aboriginal communities have revived cloak-making as a powerful act of cultural continuity and identity.