Northwest coast Chilkat blanket, two piled yarn of wool fiber and cedar bark. Trapezoid-like shape, side edges of beige weft-faced voven, possibly weft-twined. Upper and lower edges also beige in weft-faced plain weave. Broad bands of medium brown and yellow weft-faced plain weave enclose central dark brown field. Various geometric, stylized face and eye motifs in interlocking and slit tapestry techniques in beige, light yellow, olive green and dark brown on this dark brown field. Long fringes extend from lower edge, where wool yarn covering has worn away to show cedar bark interior in places. The design is the "Diving Whale" design with the head of whale located at bottom near the fringe, tail flukes near the top, side flukes near the head, all with eyes inside. The center body is indicated with a face representing the spitit of the animal. The whale is flaked by young raven designs. Weaving is thought to be problematical and the artist took many innovative liberties. Might not have had enough brown wool so did some basket twining technigues along the top and outlining areas such as the eyes. In one area near trout eyes at the botom weaver had to change brown to another shade and then finaly to green as not enough wool. Very loosely woven over all. Either has two different artist's signatures or again the artist didn't have enough dark brown to even complete the signature.

FROM CARD: "UPPER HALF OF FACE, WITH CENTRAL RIDGE, PAINTED BLUE; ROUND EYES, BLACK; CLOSED MOUTH RED. LEATHER TIES IN BACK."

FROM CARD: "PEOPLE: *CHILKAT-SITKA ?" REMARKS *9/30/66: THIS SPECIMEN DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE LISTED ON THE ORIGINAL MCLEAN INVENTORY (NOV. 9, 1881) THAT PROVIDES SPECIFIC PROVENIENCE FOR EACH ITEM. GEP."Note: catalogue card lists this object as "small, not broken when rec'd." However, Anthropology catalogue ledger book identifies it as "small, and broken when rec'd."

From card: "Dried skin, on which the woman sits while weaving blanket." See related object E209964.

Card for E45963, catalogued as "Box With Medicine Man's Masks, Robe etc." indicates that "FOR CONTENTS OF THIS BOX SEE #45976-9."

FROM CARD: "18944-5. THESE ARE PART OF A CHILCAT SHAMAN'S SET. ALAN R. SAWYER 2/1982."

FROM CARD: "67904 LOANED TO C-H. 8/19/81. RETURNED TO NHB 2/15/82." SEE USNM AR 1895, P. 965 - 6, WHERE THIS ARTIFACT IS DESCRIBED: "BOW OR HANDLE. AN ALMOST SQUARE, SLIGHTLY CURVED SPECIMEN, WITH ENGRAVINGS ON ALL SIDES EXCEPTING THE UNDER OR CONCAVE ONE. THE TOP OR CONVEX SURFACE BEARS, AMONG OTHER OBJECTS, A LARGE UMIAK, THE FOUR OCCUPANTS OF WHICH ARE INDICATED BY THE HEADS, ARMS, AND PADDLES ONLY, THE VERTICAL BODY LINE BEING PURPOSELY OMITTED OR FORGOTTEN. SOME CONVENTIONAL TREES ARE USED AS ORNAMENTAL MARKINGS. THE SIDES BEAR SEAL HUNTS,... . EACH SIDE IS ORNAMENTED BY TWO DEEPLY INCISED GROOVES, ONE AT EITHER EDGE OF THE FACES OF THE BOW, AND THE ENGRAVINGS ARE DEEPLY AND FORCIBLY MADE, ALL BEING FILLED IN WITH BLACK. THOUGH MARKED AS FROM 'CHILKAT', THE SPECIMEN HAS THE CHARACTERISTIC APPEARANCE OF THE WORK DONE BY THE NATIVES OF NORTON SOUND."