Replicating a Hood - Paula Menarick

The replication project is in its final stages and Paula Menarick has come back for a visit to complete the beaded hood. Having her come to replicate a hood in our building in front of our eyes allowed us the perfect opportunity to record and document the type of work our ancestors would have done to create such beautiful articles of clothing. 

The opportunity for ACCI to learn is an opportunity for all Eeyouch to learn. We will be using the research we have done on the use and meaning of beaded hoods and the documentation of Paula’s process in replicating the hood to guide the development of workshops where others can learn about this important part of our history and how to make a hood themselves.

Paula Menarick and the Beaded Hood...A Tradition lives on...

ACCI had a real treat before the Christmas holidays; we had a wonderful young lady, Paula Menarick, come to and work on-site for an entire week on replicating a beaded hood. The amount of work that she put into this project was absolutely incredible. The beads that she worked with were so small, the details in her stitching were exceptionally precise, and the care that was put into her work was something to admire. We are very happy that Paula was able to make the time to work on this extraordinary piece for us.

The beaded hoods that we have on display are beautiful. They symmetry, detail, and precision of work in the bead patterns is something that is a must see when visiting Aanischaaukamikw. The beads that were used were so incredibly small; we were worried that the needle might be too large for the beads themselves! Much of the knowledge about beaded hoods, from the use of them to knowing how to make them, is no longer passed from generation to generation in Eeyou Istchee. Aanischaaukamikw has done a large amount of research with Elders about the use of the beaded hoods and having a hood replicated at Aanischaaukamikw provided a unique insight into the process of making a hood. Watching an artist demonstrate how to place these tiny beads on a needle and then attach them to fabric, we were brought closer to our ancestors with every stitch.