Boots made of deer kamus, leather or rovduga (deer or elk suede) have long been an indispensable part of the traditional attire of the peoples in the Far North. In summer, they wear short nyara boots made of smoked deer, horse or elk kamus with fur outside or leather galoshes called chirki with thick leather stockings or knitted socks. For winter, they make pimy — boots that consist of stockings with fur inside and outer boots with fur outside.
The peculiar structure of the hairs on kamus hides is able to create “air chambers” that provide good thermal conductivity. In addition, fur boots are comfortable, pleasant to the touch, and help prevent injuries to feet and shins.
Kamus is a piece of hide from the lower leg of pinnipeds (seals), horses or, as in the case of pimy, deer (reindeer, roe deer, and elk). The material was always selected and prepared in advance, taking into account not only the quality, but also the color of the fur: traditionally, pimy were made two-tone; boots made of gray and white fur were valued above all others.
The pieces of hide were stretched, frozen for a while, then soaked, dried, crumpled and stored in sawdust. About 8–13 pieces of kamus were required for one pair of men’s pimy, and usually no more than 7–8 pieces — for a pair of women’s boots.
The prepared kamus was laid out with fur inside, individual pieces were cut out with a knife, sewn together, lined, and then the item was turned inside out. At this point, the process was still not completed: it was necessary to make soles and add cuffs.
The cut of women’s boots differs from men’s, as the front strip of deer hide is much narrower and ends with a narrow toepiece, not reaching the toe. A decorative pattern was placed at the very bottom, otherwise it would not be visible from under the long clothes.
The presented pimy consist of a whole-cut sole, a vamp and a thigh-high bootleg with a wide flare. Several vertical strips of fur were used for the boot, and for the ellipsoid sole — hide taken from between the hooves or from the forehead of a deer. The pile is directed downward so that snow can easily roll down the boots, keeping the feet dry. The insoles made of dried grass also help to keep one’s feet dry.
