Exhibit Label

A very rare variant of Tlingit spruce root weaving is the bead-covered basket. Beadwork is not a major art form among Northwest Coast people, although it does occur all over the coast. The best known Tlingit beadwork is that on dancing shirts, collars, and bags, and is done in the overlay or couched technique in foliate scroll designs. Geometric designs are not unknown, however. Typical Tlingit basketry designs were used in the beadwork, arranged in the familiar three-banded composition. (Holm, Spirit and Ancestor, 1987)