Making A Tikunagun

A set of 31 photos of Napthelie McKenzie and Lillian Charles showing the making of a tikunagun or cradleboard. -p01: Title. -p02: The parts of the tikunagun: the back, the sides, the cover, and the lacings. -p03: Napthelie split a spruce log for the thin board and bent it for the bottom and sides. -p04: The lacings have been fastened to the cover, which in the past was made of decorated hide. -p05: He finishes the last piece of wood - a cross piece to fasten on the straps. -p06 to -p08: He is trying it for size and position. -p09 to -p11: He nails the cross piece to the backboard. -p12: The wooden part is complete. -p13 to -p16: Now Napthelie and Lillian begin to attach the cover. -p17: Lillian threads strong cord into a darning needle - originally, sinew was used. -p18 to -p20: He has drilled holes in the back board and sides, and now sews everything together. -p21 to -p23: Here he stitches the sides and cover onto the backboard. -p24 to -p27: Lillian helps Napthelie put it all together. -p28: Lillian finishes off the sewing. -p29: The tikunagun is finished! -p30: Lillian puts Michael Peter into the tikunagun. -p31: The End.

Historical note:

Photos of Napthelie McKenzie and his daughter Lillian Charles on the family trapline near Stanley Mission, taken in 1976 by Lois Dalby of the Academic Education Branch of the Department of Northern Saskatchewan, as source materials for developing northern classroom materials.