Français   Home

Bone Snow Knives and Tin Oil Lamps:
Enduring Traditions Among Canada's First Peoples

Glossary

?

The question mark appears throughout the text, indicating that information is presented "to the best of our current knowledge".

Babiche

Rawhide thongs or lacing.

Bifacial

The cutting edge of the tool is worked on two faces.

"c"

Circa; used to indicate an approximate figure or date; about.

Crescentic

Curved shaped with concave and/or convex edge(s).

Depilated

Hair removed.

Distal

Terminal end.

Imbricated

Ornamentation and/or pattern of evenly overlapped surfaces.

Kerfed

Refers to a box where the sides are made from a single length of wood. At the corner points, a slit or kerf is cut into the board then steamed and bent into position.

Mercerized

Process of treating thread or fabric to strengthen it, give it a silky lustre and make it more receptive to dyes.

Nephrite

A lesser variety of jade stone that varies in colour from white to very dark green.

"p"

Prior to, or previous to a figure or date.

Parfleche

From the French "parer une fleche" (meaning "to turn an arrow"), is a container of stiff rawhide.

Proximal

The end nearest to the manipulator's body, or its point of attachment.

Selvage thong method

A separate thong, known as the selvage thong,is bound around the interior surface of the snowshoe frame. The snowshoe webbing is then attached to the selvage thong rather than directly to the frame.

Sgraffito

Process of boiling bark to change its colour (darken it) then scrapping away the dark colour to create designs and patterns.