Blanket Item Number: E418685A-0 from the National Museum of Natural History

Notes

Shgen George, weaver, Shirley Kendall, elder, and Florence Sheakley, elder, made the following comments during the Tlingit Recovering Voices Community Research Visit, March 13-March 24, 2017. This blanket has a diving whale design. The white faces are not typical to this design, but the center bottom design is. The sharpness of the fringe suggests to Schgen that this was made in 1970s. On this object the side braids are attached on the side, not the top, which is unsual and it's not clear why they were attached this way. Shirley heard from another weaver that the white face may indicate this is alive or a spirit. She commented that there are concerns about using these designs in regalia, and that they shouldn't be separated from their bodies if they are the spirit.