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Kamleika (Kamleikas)

Kamleika is the name of a special kind of Aleut parka that was used while kayaking and during rainy weather. Made from the intestines of sea lions and other marine mammals, kamleikas were highly waterproof. They had hoods with drawstrings to pull them tightly around the face. The name kamleika is not actually a native Aleut name, but a Siberian word applied to this garment by Russian settlers. In the Aleut language this kind of coat is called chigdax (cixdaq) or chagtalisax, and in English, they are often called "gut parkas."

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Here are links to our webpages about the Aleut tribe and language:

Aleut language
The Aleut tribe
Aleut history
Aleut words
Aleut phonology
Eskimo-Aleut
Native tribes of Alaska

Here are links to more Internet resources about the kamleika:
The Kamleika (Gutskin Parka)
Sharing Knowledge: Gut Parka
Wikipedia: Kamleika
Alaskan Kamleika

And here are a few good books about the Aleuts:
Aleut Identities: Tradition and Modernity
Aleut Dictionary
Aleut Tales and Narratives

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