ONE OF A KIND - Vintage Arctic wolf pelt and suede leather; hand made; hand beaded, one-of-a-kind vest
This was an on-line auction buy ... and what a vest it turned out to be! A beautifully tanned arctic wolf pelt; hand beading on a sueded leather .... probably elk or bison (or it could be caraboo or reindeer (it is a heavy garnment weight leather ... not cow or steer), trimmed in doeskin with doeskin ties. It has a cotton (or poly-cotton) lining ... and is at least a men's XXL for size. The lining and the pelt are pristine; the arm holes show some wear and might even use a bit of cleaning. There is no odor; one small stain on the upperleft (you can see it in the picture), but otherwise in excellent condition, with years and years of wear still in this unique piece - never seen anything quite like it
This was a mature wolf; long dense hair; completely flexable as to the hide ... and the beading was done right onto the leather. Side pockets that are well made and practical.
This vest was made with a whole lot of care and hand work.
Now, about the inscription on the inside in pen or marker "L Walker Liard Dine Yukon"
Wow .... Google told me nothing concrete; no provinance of any use from the seller. There is a Liard River in the Yukon ... and nothing else I could find with that spelling. Dine (or Dene) is a native term of "people" or a reference to a tribe or group of people .. the latter more associated with the Abathaskan tribes of the Northwest Territories and/or Alaska ... the former with Navajo and Southwest US tribes.
Nothing I could find with the bead design helped to narrow down the creation .. or it's likely origin. So ... it is a beautiful, wearable, functional piece of unknown history; you will have to make your own history with it from here!
Cecil