Inuit ingenuity finds a warm reception

She has also taught all three of her daughters, who became members of the co-op at a young age.

Being a member of the knitting group not only provides needed funds, Hooper says, but she and the other women are proud to know that the items they've made will be enjoyed by someone far away.

The cooperative has grown from 25 founding members in 1969 to more than 250 today. Member-knitters own the Oomingmak cooperative. They range in age from 9 to 90, and often include several members of the same family. Daughters and granddaughters of the original knitters are now participating in the group.

Members work from their homes in villages of 150 to 300 people. They work at their own speed and fit their knitting around their day-to-day activities and their family lives.

Then they send the finished garments to the co-op's headquarters in Anchorage by planes that regularly visit their villages.

The Oomingmak co-op buys most of its qiviut from the herd Teal helped establish. Because they found that processing the raw musk-oxen wool by hand was too time-consuming, a Rhode Island cashmere mill now prepares and spins the hair into fine yarn, which is then sent back to members of the cooperative.

The nachaq has been the most popular item the women make. Prices range from $110 for a cloche cap to $575 for a sleeveless tunic with a hand-braided qiviut belt.

Products made from musk ox hair do not shrink, and they don't scratch like wool. Warmth, lightness, and the silky softness of the garments contribute to their popularity.

Seventy-five percent of the garments are sold directly by the cooperative. The remaining 25 percent are offered through a gift shop at the Musk Ox Farm, which is located in Palmer, Alaska (see box at left).

Over the past 30-plus years, these sales have accomplished the original goal of meeting the natives' need for supplemental income. But they have provided more than just money.They have helped the women create much richer lives for themselves, and the activity fits well with the Inuit desire to live in harmony with nature.

Sigrun Robertson worked with Teal from the beginning. Through the years, she helped in various ways, and today serves as director of the co-op. She and a small staff run the co-op and maintain the mail-order business from its location in downtown Anchorage.

The little brown house that contains her office attracts visitors because of the unusual musk-ox mural on its exterior walls. Once they're inside, people are fascinated by native staffers and knitters who work on-site.

Ms. Robertson admits that some people may think the project is relatively small and has had only a limited impact. But that's not the case.

"The co-op was created not to make sweeping changes ... but to help with problems within the traditional mode of life," she explains. "This is not about making money hand over fist."

If being able to work at home for pay makes the difference between extreme poverty and enjoying a few extras, then Inuit families in isolated tundra and coastal villages must feel that a great deal of progress has been made.

The Musk Ox Producers' Co-operative is located at 604 H Street, Anchorage, AK 99501. Phone (907) 272-9225 or (toll-free from outside Alaska) 888-360-9665. The e-mail address is oomingmak@qiviut.com. Visit the website at www.qiviut.com.

The Musk Ox Farm is located in Palmer, a 50-minute drive from downtown Anchorage, and is open for tours from Mother's Day through September. Read more about the farm at www.muskoxfarm.org.

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