Hat

Item number Z 11447 from the MAA: University of Cambridge.

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Data
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Description

Four hollow rings of woven spruce root joined, one on top of the other, having a hole running through the centre. Each woven ring has a ring of wood inside which gives stability to the sides. The rings have been painted greenish black which to a certain extent conceals their basketwork construction. These rings are the top part of a hat, the rest of the hat is missing.; Good

Context

The style of these rings suggests they were made by the Tlingit (G.Crowther). The original European tribal names and, where possible, current tribal names have both been given in separate GLT fields.; Potlatch rings of this sort were found on spruce root hats (or Skil , property hats) and wooden crest hats worn by chiefs at potlatches and feasts. The number of rings attested to the number of potlatches the wearer had hosted. Therefore the rings were indicative of the social standing and wealth of the individual within the ranking system. Potlatch rings were also carved onto totem poles. This particular type of rings possibly came from a carved wooden crest hat which were a similar cone-like shape to those woven from spruce root but bore crest animals on the top or side. An illustration can be found in Crossroads of Continents ed. William W. Fitzhugh and Aron Crowell, page 280, fig.385, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1988.; Collected by: Beasley.I.M