Did Inuits Invent the Thong Centuries Ago?
In 19th Century settlements, thongs were the wardrobe of choice indoors.
Nowadays, people think of the thong as either a) a sexy undergarment or b) about as much fun as a permanent wedgie, but in the 1800s, a thong-style garment was often the only thing worn in Inuit homes in greenland. That’s right, women walked around in their homes wearing a seal fur thong, called a naatsit, and often nothing else. Even when company showed up. Even when that company involved people from other cultures not familiar with such customs.
The National Museum of Denmark, based in Copenhagen, has the pictured seal-fur thong on display, along with loads of other garments found on several continents, including North America. Here’s the direct link to the thong page on the museum site, and the search tool on the “welcome” page offers thousands of other images to peruse.
A scan through the “trousers” section for Inuits in East Greenland shows quite a few interesting indoor garments/undergarments. Check out the male version, which looks rather uncomfortable:
In all fairness, the Inuits’ fur “trousers” found at this museum come in a variety of lengths, much like modern, commercially available skivvies, sans the fur part.
Here are a few other interesting unmentionables:
fur shorts from the late 1800s. All images courtesy National Museum of Denmark
