Our Way of Living
"All the old people used to have kakiwit. They would take them along wherever they go, just like a handbag." (Clyda Christiansen, Kodiak Island Elder, 1997). Women used kakiwit to store small sewing items, such as needles and sinew thread. Men used them to carry sewing supplies to make kayak repairs as well as tobacco, ammunition, and other small items for hunting. In more recent years, kakiwit were made of cloth. The embroidery on this bag is made of caribou hair.