A Manitoba artisan who crafted the tiny mukluks sent to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has learned which pair of her traditional Aboriginal footwear will grace the feet of the U.K.'s newest royal, Prince George.
The future king will have two options to choose from: a wraparound-style mukluk made of deer hide and decorated with a pearlescent white and golden beading pattern; and a second pair, made with a taller shaft of caribou hide and decorated with a fur trim.
After Prince George's birth on July 22, the mukluks were presented to Prince William and the former Kate Middleton as gifts from Canada’s Assembly of First Nations Chief Shawn Atleo.
"The beadwork on them was green. They were home-tanned caribou hide," Edna Nabess, from Manitobah Mukluks’ Storyboot Project, told CTV Winnipeg.
Both pairs of boots were made with materials native to Manitoba.
According to Atleo, the gifts symbolize "the historic ties between the Aboriginal peoples of Canada and the Crown."
"(The gifts) will serve as a continued token of friendship," Atleo said in statement.
In addition to the mukluks, Atleo and his wife, Nancy, also presented a pair of Infant Scout moccasins to Prince George, while Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent a Canadian handcrafted blanket, a selection of children’s books in both official languages and a $100,000 donation to a Canadian child-focused charity to be made in the prince’s name.
Nabess added that business at her store has been busier since news that her mukluks were presented to the future king.
With files from CTV Winnipeg
