'Everybody says,
wow, I cant believe you made this ... Women especially,'
says Brian Rogers
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Brian
Rogers wearing a jacket made by his sewing friends, made from
muskox.
(Submitted by Brian Rogers)
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Brian Rogers was 16 years old when he first picked up a needle
and thread.
Rogers wanted to make his own duffle socks a liner made
of duffle cloth for his mukluks, so after years of watching
his mother make intricate traditional clothing, he asked her to
teach him.
"But when I did the whole thing, she undid them like two or
three times 'til I got it right," said Rogers, who's now 45.
He remembers it being a little frustrating.
"A little bit mad angry," said Rogers. "Here I was trying
to sew, and then she says it's not done right, you gotta undo it
and fix it."
But that's how his decades-long sewing journey began
becoming a man who is famous in his home community of Inuvik, N.W.T.,
for his talent.
Rogers said his skills can surprise people.
"Everybody says, 'Wow, I can't believe you made this,'" said
Rogers. "Women especially. They can't believe it."
'Don't let this stuff die'
Every week, for nearly two decades, Rogers shares his traditional
sewing skills with others in his community.
Not many people know him by his real name though he says
his sewing circle and students call him "Nungkii," which means caribou
leg muscle in Inuvialuktun.
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Rogers
teaches students how to make everything from mitts to parkas
to mukluks, using stitches and patterns he learned from elders.
(Submitted by Brian Rogers)
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Rogers teaches people how to make everything from mitts to parkas
to mukluks, using stitches and patterns that he learned directly
from elders.
Before he started teaching 18 years ago, Rogers said it was
only elders who were sewing in town.
"No youth, no young people, nothing," he said.
That's why he offers his classes free of charge.
"It never cost me nothing to learn from [elders], so all these
patterns and all this stuff is given to you free."
Rogers also teaches his students Inuvialuktun his language
during classes. He'll point to scissors or patterns and share
their names in the language.
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Rogers,
left, making a sun burst out of wolf in a sewing class.
(Submitted by Brian Rogers)
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Now Rogers teaches classes along with another instructor at
the Inuvik Community Corporation twice a week on Tuesdays
and Thursdays. But there's a wait list because of the popularity,
warned Rogers.
His classes are focused on teaching young, single mothers who
can't afford to buy expensive traditional clothing.
But sometimes he'll get a few men who join his classes, accompanying
their spouses.
All Rogers asks is that others who learn from him will pay it
forward. He wants to see the revival of traditional embroidery and
clothing.
"You got it from me for nothing. You too
just pass it
along and don't let this stuff die."
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