Milak and her mother were ready to cut up the seal with a special
knife, called a woman's knife. They cut the blubber away and carefully
peeled off the thin layer of skin between the blubber and the hide.
When this thin skin was dry, they would use it like cellophane, for
wrapping things.
To make the furry outside skin ready for sewing, Milak rubbed it with
snow or ice, then dried it in the cold outdoor air. Next she chewed it
to make it soft.
[Illustration: ~Eskimo women did almost no cooking or housework so they
had time for sewing the warm clothes everyone needed.~]
[Illustration: ~an ivory needle~]
[Illustration: ~a thimble~]
An Eskimo woman could do wonderful things with her hand-carved ivory
needles and the thread made of animal tendons called sinew. She could
join skins together so that they were absolutely watertight. As Milak
and her mother worked, they sang. Milak made dolls out of scraps of
fur.
[Illustration]