Ddhälh kït Nelnah's Beadings

After I created enough sinew thread from the moose backstrap, I decided to try to stitch and bead with it. I'm excited to work more with it and see how it interacts with hometanned moose hide later this year. Photo by Christopher Walton

The process of creating useable thread from backstrap sinew was passed down to me by my Grandma Marilyn John. As a result of the pandemic, I am not able to see my grandma as often as I wish. When I was in need of some guidance I called my grandma on the phone. She would walk me through the steps and I would describe to her what I was doing. Although not ideal, it was an enlightening experience and I'm grateful for her knowledge. Photo by Christopher Walton

The dinik ch’itth’èe (moose backstrap sinew) has to be pulled apart into its fibres. This process takes a lot of time and strength. I found my fingers and hands became quite tired after an hour or so of pulling apart the backstrap. A knife helped somewhat but my fingers, hands, and arms were the best for pulling it apart. Photo by Christopher Walton

Let's take a moment to appreciate the beauty of dinik ch’itth’èe (moose backstrap sinew) My mom and her partner Dwayne collected the backstrap for me earlier this fall. This fibrous tendon is used to make sinew thread. Because of the pandemic, my Grandma Marilyn instructed me from afar on how to process the backstrap. What have you learned from your Grandma (or mentor) that you still find valuable to this day? ... Photos by Christopher Walton