'Itty bitty cuts of memories' come together in memorial moose hide purse
CBC
For years, the late Phyllis Sam Matthew of Chisasibi, Que. kept small bits of moose hide in a heavy cotton pillowcase.
An avid sewer and beader, Phyllis was also staying true to the Cree traditional value of using every last bit of a harvest.
She knew the pieces of moose hide would one day come in handy.
In the Spring of 2017 they did, when her daughter Hannah Snowboy stitched them together into a very special gift for her younger sister, Patricia.
"My mom loved sewing and made many different items such as moccasins, walking-out outfits and blankets," said Snowboy. A walking-out ceremony is a Cree rite of passage that marks a child's first encounter with nature.
Before she passed away in 2013, Phyllis was often a go-to person in Chisasibi, who could skillfully and beautifully make these traditional and important outfits and crafts.
"She couldn't say 'no' when people asked her if she could make something. She also had a passion for skinning and tanning hides," said Snowboy.
Snowboy and her sister Patricia didn't know what their mother had planned for the bits of moosehide in the pillowcase, but they did know it was a prized possession and a powerful reminder of her.
A year after she passed, and as is Cree custom, Phyllis's belongings were distributed among her family and friends.
Patricia, who had lived with and cared for their mother during her illness, was chosen to keep the pillowcase of fragrant bits of hide.
When Snowboy got the inspiration to make a purse with the precious bits of moosehide, she knew she wanted to make it for her younger sister, Patricia.
"There were many times while I was working on this purse … I often shed tears, thinking of my mom," said Snowboy.
It was their mom who taught the sisters how to sew and bead.
Snowboy said she didn't use a pattern for the purse, but instead let the pieces dictate the pattern.
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