The women’s knowledge was as essential as the hunters’ knowledge.

The umiak’s skin covering — bearded seal skins sewn with the waterproof stitch that kept the boat dry — was women’s work.

The preparation of those skins, the specific techniques of sewing, the maintenance of the umiak’s covering — these were transmitted from mothers to daughters across generations, as essential to the hunt as the men’s harpoon skills.

This is what Ada Blackjack was an heir to.

This is what the missionaries in Nome had tried to replace with Western domestic skills.