Snow goggles(Inuktitut:ilgaakoriggaak,syllabics:ᐃᓪᒑᒃorᐃᒡᒑᒃ;[1]Central Yupik:nigaugek,nigauget) are a type of eyewear traditionally used by theInuitand theYupikpeoples of theArcticto preventsnow blindness.[2]
Thegogglesare traditionally made ofdriftwood(especiallyspruce), bone,walrus ivory,caribouantler,[2]or in some cases seashore grass.[3]The workpiece is carved to fit the wearer's face, and one or more narrow horizontal slits are carved through the front.[4]The goggles fit tightly against the face so that the only light entering is through the slits, and soot is sometimes applied to the inside to help cut down on glare.[2][5][6]The slits are made narrow not only to reduce the amount of light entering but also to improve thevisual acuity.[2]Wider slits result in a largerfield of view.[2]
Terminology
editLike otherInuit languageterms, such asinukhuk/inuksuk,[7][8]a different word may be used in different dialects. In theKivalliqdialect,ilgaak(ᐃᓪᒑᒃ) is used, while theNorth Baffin dialectusesiggaak(ᐃᒡᒑᒃ). Both words are also used to refer tosunglasses.[1]
InCentral Yup'ik,snow goggles are callednigaugek,while in Cup'ig they areigguag.InSiberian Yupik,the word isiyegaatek.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit
- ^abAsuilaak Living Dictionary - snow goggles
- ^abcdeInuit Snow Gogglesat theVancouver Maritime Museum
- ^"Things Made from Grass".
- ^abSmithsonian Institution,St. Lawrence Island Yupik Snow Goggles
- ^"Snow goggles helped Arctic people survive".December 2007.
- ^"Yup'ik Snow Goggles".Smithsonian Institution.
- ^"inuksuk".Asuilaak Living Dictionary.Retrieved2012-11-22.
- ^Ohokak, G.; M. Kadlun; B. Harnum.Inuinnaqtun-English Dictionary.Kitikmeot Heritage Society.