Reindeer Driving, 26 3/4 x 46
Designed by Dr. Wilfred Grenfell (1865-1940)
Design in production by 1916; Hooked on brin using cotton hooking material.
Dr. Grenfell introduced reindeer from Norway to the region in 1907.He theorized that one reindeer could do the work of an entire dog team plus provide skins, meat and milk. However countless factors, not the least of which was that a reindeer had no interest in pulling a komatik, combined to make the experiment a failure.
Dog Team on Harbour Ice, 18 3/4 x 32
Designed by Dr. Wilfred Grenfell
Design in production by 1916
Mat dated 1922; Brin
This mat is hooked on brin (the local vernacular
for "burlap") and uses brin as the hooking material.
Dog Team with Whip, 26 1/2 x 40
Hooked on a brin base using silk or rayon material and
wool; dyed
Similar design in production by 1920, this mat c. 1928-1932
The dogs, hooked in clipped wool, create
a raised, slightly furry realistic, texture. The whip used by the
team driver required extra patience to hook and is a desirable element
in this mat pattern. The red cross on the "lend -a- hand" box
indicates that this is a mission dog team prepared for a medical
emergency.
Designed in 1942 by Stephen Hamilton (1908-1993)
Hooked on a brin base using silk and rayon hooking material
Hamilton describes the scene that inspired this design, "On a trip to hunt caribou, we took five dogs and a loaded komatik. On the first day crossing the bay we encountered a crevasse. The bay ice had split open and there was open water about eight feet wide. We unhitched the dogs, set the komatik at the edge of the ice and let it form a bridge. As we did this the "alpine glow" came on casting a light so beautiful one hesitated to speak out loud to disturb the beauty of that magnificent landscape." There are many examples of this popular design but very few include the broken ice that Hamilton describes.