Available materials
Until well into the twentieth century in Greenland, practically the only available materials for clothing were animals' skins and intestines. The materials most often used were fur and leather. The hairs of the fur are hollow and contain air, which has an insulating effect. Fur without pigment, as in the case of the polar bear's white pelt, contains more air than other kinds of furs, because the empty space in the hairs (normally containing pigment) is also filled with air. For this reason clothing made of polar-bear fur is the warmest. It is not only the structure of the fur which makes it so warm. The length of the hairs and thickness of the pelt also play their part. Seal fur is shorthaired and less warm, but conversely it is waterproof, and it is also easier to remove the hairs for making leather.

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