Overview
A parka is a pullover hooded coat cut from tanned caribou, seal, or bird skins, often worn in two layers, fur inward against the body and outward against the wind. The hood, cuffs, and hem are ruffed with fur, and the whole is shaped to seal in warmth without hampering the hunter.
How it is worn
It is pulled on over the head with the hood up against wind and snow, worn with skin trousers and boots, and in the women’s amauti a deep pouch at the back carries an infant against the mother’s warmth. Cut, decoration, and trim vary by region, sex, and season.
History
The Inuit parka is the product of thousands of years of Arctic survival craft, its fur-lined, hooded design proving so effective that it was copied for polar exploration and modern cold-weather clothing. The word itself passed from the Arctic into everyday English.