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Iconographic Meaning

Diamond design is symbolic of love and understanding.

Cultural Context

contemporary; weaving

Specific Techniques

Sto:lo weavers noted that golden rod is used as a dye for the yellow colour. The more you use, the darker the colour becomes. The brown wool could be natural, but it is more likely a commercial dye since it is hard to get that particular shade of brown. You would have to boil the wool several times while adding cedar bark and other materials.

History Of Use

Salish weaving is a very old tradition. Traditionally blankets of mountain goat wool were very valuable possessions, and were important wealth items. They were presented as gifts at ceremonial occasions, such as weddings, naming ceremonies, and memorials. They were also used to compensate shamans and other specialists for services. Wealthy families also wrapped their dead in the blankets. Women who wove the blankets generally had a spirit helper associated with weaving skills and would undergo ritual purification before weaving. After contact, mass produced blankets flooded onto the Northwest Coast and by the early 20th century production of tradition blankets had almost ceased. In the 1960's there was a revival of blanket weaving at Sardis, and later at Musqueam. In 1971, the Salish Weavers Guild was formed and operated out of the Coqualeetza Cultural Center until 1985. The weavers studied old blankets in museums and were aided by elders.

Description

Rectangular wall hanging with a basic structure of discontinuous weft twining. The ground is grey with grey-yellow and grey-brown. There are four vertical rows of arrows and diamonds. The pattern consists of two arrows with a diamond in centre then two other arrows, and there are three such patterns in each row in different colours. The one-ply handspun weft has a looped finish on one end and over-hand knots on the other. The warp is five-ply machine-made wool.