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Article: THE BEAUTY OF THE BEAST; WELCOME TO THE WILD WORLD OF QIVIUT, THE NOBLE FIBER HARVESTED FROM MUSK OX.
- Article from:
- Daily News Record
- Article date:
- October 25, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Conde Nast Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Heidi Petelinz Benson
Although it's been around for a million or more years, qiviut (pronounced key-vee-ute) isn't exactly a household word.
Not yet, anyway.
Unless you're from Alaska or Canada and you understand Inuvialuktun (an Inuit language), you won't know that it refers to the ultrafine hair from the underbelly of the once-endangered musk ox. And you won't know that it's worth an absolute fortune.
In the expanding and often controversial market for noble fibers, qiviut is prized as one of the finest, softest and warmest in the world. The unspun fiber alone fetches $150 a pound; spun yarn, when you can find it, starts at ...