PROBABLY MADE OF FINELY TWISTED TWO-PLY CATTAIL (TYPHA LATIFOLIA) LEAF CORD - *SEE* A TIME OF GATHERING BY ROBIN K. WRIGHT, 1991, P. 34, 40, 48.A similar Chinook skirt, from Lewis and Clark, is in collections of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, # PM 99-12-10/52990. The Peabody Museum website notes that Lewis and Clark "... described at length the unique twined cordage skirts that women in the lower Columbia River area made from cedar bark or cattail leaves, which were valuable commodities in local trade networks." Peabody Museum curator Castle McLaughlin has noted that the Catlin cordage skirts E73291, E73306 and E386547 have red paint applied to them, but this is not typical for these types of skirts. The red paint may have been applied by George Catlin?During the cataloguing of quillwork E386582B in 1948, a tag was found with it that stated "From a Lewis and Clark Chinook Skirt in Catlin Coll". Curator John C. Ewers determined that the tag did not actually belong with E386582B. It is possible that the tag might instead have been associated with Chinook skirts E73291, E73306 or E386547. This tag has not currently been located. Nor can the source of the possible ID of a Chinook skirt in the Catlin collection to Lewis and Clark be determined.

Attributed on card by curator John C. Ewers as "probably Chinook or Salish." From card: "Waist band of bucksin, with buckskin tie strings; long cut fringe to band; outside of band decorated with vertical floral [fruit?] motives in 1 horizontal row (black and red paint). To inner border of waistband a second fringe of braided mtn. goat hair (?) is attached by skin thongs. Note: Dr. Erna Gunther, Washington State Museum, on visit to USNM, Oct. 13, 1948, stated this definitely of mtn. goat hair, but that she had not seen any other skirts like it from the northwest. She was not famliar with the painted motives. She believed it was probably from an interior tribe of Washington or B.C."

PROBABLY MADE OF FINELY TWISTED TWO-PLY CATTAIL (TYPHA LATIFOLIA) LEAF CORD - *SEE* A TIME OF GATHERING BY ROBIN K. WRIGHT, 1991, P. 34, 40, 48.A similar Chinook skirt, from Lewis and Clark, is in collections of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, # PM 99-12-10/52990. The Peabody Museum website notes that Lewis and Clark "... described at length the unique twined cordage skirts that women in the lower Columbia River area made from cedar bark or cattail leaves, which were valuable commodities in local trade networks." Peabody Museum curator Castle McLaughlin has noted that the Catlin cordage skirts E73291, E73306 and E386547 have red paint applied to them, but this is not typical for these types of skirts. The red paint may have been applied by George Catlin?During the cataloguing of quillwork E386582B in 1948, a tag was found with it that stated "From a Lewis and Clark Chinook Skirt in Catlin Coll". Curator John C. Ewers determined that the tag did not actually belong with E386582B. It is possible that the tag might instead have been associated with Chinook skirts E73291, E73306 or E386547. This tag has not currently been located. Nor can the source of the possible ID of a Chinook skirt in the Catlin collection to Lewis and Clark be determined.

From card: "Old label: "Made of whale's skull. Handle, a bar between two upright end-pieces, terminating in animal heads. Ornamented by the conventional dot and circle." From late 19th or early 20th century Smithsonian exhibit label stored with the card: "Braking tool - Made of whale's skull. Handle, a bar between two upright end pieces, terminating in animal heads. Ornamented by the conventional dot and circle. Length of blade 9 inches. Washington Territory, 1854. Collected by George Catlin."Illus. Fig. 5.17, p. 88 in Brotherton, Barbara. 2008. S'abadeb = The gifts : Pacific Coast Salish arts and artists. Seattle: Seattle Art Museum in association with University of Washington Press. Figure caption notes: "This functional tool was used to break down the fibrous inner bark of the red cedar tree to make it pliable for weaving mats, hats and baskets, or to break down bark from the yellow cedar with which to weave robes, capes, and dresses. Softened bark was also used for bandages, baby diapers, and rope. The dried strips of bark cut in uniform lengths would be laid over a sharp edge - like a canoe paddle - and chopped with the shredder. ... On each end this shredder has identical creatures with open mouths, short ears, and rounded eyes. Each creature's foot, as well as the blade, is decorated with incised circles and dots."

From card: "In form of oblong basket; with overlay decorative design. Salish. Compare with cradle #176518, Comox, Vancouver Id."

FROM CARD: "ROBE WOVEN OF STRIPS OF FUR. COMPOSED OF STRIPS OF FUR SKIN TWINED TOGETHER WITH CORDS OF CEDAR BARK FORMING A LOOSE AND FLIMSY TEXTURE WORN OVER THE SHOULDERS OR AROUND THE LOINS. WIDTH, 30", LENGTH, 41". *LABEL READS: "SALISH INDIANS, WASHINGTON; COLLECTED BY CAPT. CHARLES WILKES, U. S. NAVY."See p. 83 in Salish Weaving by Paula Gustafson, University of Washington Press, 1980. Gustafson says that the FBI did a scientific analysis of some of the hair fibers from this blanket for her, and that the analysis indicated that the hair most closely resembled that of the coyote. The Anthropology Dept. does not have a copy of this FBI analysis in its files, and Gustafson (who is now deceased), could not locate it in her files when contacted in 2005. Additional sampling/analysis was done on the hair of this blanket in 2004. The strips of skin/fur that make up this textile were identified as including both coyote and Salish wool or woolly dog (see Anthropology Conservation Lab sampling file "Loychuk 2004.").There is some question as to who the collector/donor of this artifact was. It has been possibly attributed to the Wilkes/U.S. Exploring Expedition on the catalogue card, but Jane Walsh based on her research with the records of the U.S. Exploring Expedition questions that attribution. Wilkes attribution is indeed questionable, as no Peale number has yet been identified for this piece. Some other possible donors would be the National Institute or George Gibbs? Donor is blank in original Anthropology catalogue ledger book. Object was entered into the Anthropology catalogue ledger book in December 1866. Per Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa, 2023, see also list of artifacts in George Gibbs Notebooks of Scientific Observations of the Pacific Northwest. Western Americana Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, WA MSS S-1810, notebook "Washington Territory Miscellaneous, Chiefly Natural History [ca. 1857]," Box 1, Folder 3, page image 41r https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/14462281?child_oid=14462872 and page image 63v https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/14462281?child_oid=14462917 . See also 2024 information from Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa on the possible provenance of this textile to George Gibbs in pdf attached to this record.Reference: Solazzo, C., S. Heald, M.W. Ballard, D.A. Ashford, P.T. DePriest, R.J. Koestler, and M. Collins. 2011. Proteomics and Coast Salish blankets: A tale of shaggy dogs? Antiquity 85: 1418-1432. http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/085/ant0851418.htm . Identified there as a fur robe - strips of Salish wool or woolly dog fur pelt held together with cedar bark cordage; alternating rows of brown and yellow to white fur; both coarse guard hair and fine under hair are present. The differing hair lengths and colors suggest that more than one dog was used in the robe's construction.

From card: "Bottom, diagonal weaving; a few inches of coarse twined weaving the lower margin and body in open twined weaving; band at the top of close twined weaving; Border, braid of the warp. Ornamentation, overlaying in grass and cedar bark." Identified as Twana style by Barbara Brotherton, Seattle Art Museum, 11-6-2007.

Provenience note: many objects in the Chirouse collection were catalogued as Duwamish, however that really only seems to definitively apply to Catalogue No. 130965. Accession record indicates that the collection is the "handiwork of the Snohomish, Swinomish, Lummi, Muckleshoot and Etakmur Indians on the Tulalip Reservation in Washington Territory".

WOOLEN BLANKET SUPPOSEDLY WOVEN OF MOUNTAIN GOAT WOOL AND DOG HAIR. THE DESIGN IS COMPOSED OF BANDS OF ZIGZAG DESIGNS AND STRIPES IN YELLOW, WHITE, BLUE, GREEN, RED, WITH AN INSERTED AREA OF BROAD RED, YELLOW AND WHITE STRIPES WITH VERTICAL LINES ON EITHER SIDE. THE BLANKET IS FRINGED ON THREE SIDES. SMITHSONIAN ANNUAL REPORT, 1928, PG. 639, PL. 9-C. REMOVED FROM PERMANENT EXHIBIT IN THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN HALL, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. EXHIBITED MAGNIFICENT VOYAGERS, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, 1985-86.Jane Walsh identifies this textile as Peale # 312, which is described (as is Peale # 313) in the U.S. Exploring Expedition Peale catalogue as a blanket made of wool of the Rocky mountain sheep, by the natives of Puget sound, NW Coast of America. Illus. Pl. 1, p. 41 and Fig. 28, p. 46 of Salish Weaving by Paula Gustafson, Univ. of Washington Press, 1980. Described on p. 125, cat. entry 82, of Gustafson as "Fibres: Mountain goat hair and vegetable fibers. Colour: Natural white, black, dark brown, red, yellow and blue. Weave: Twine." Also described on p. 47 of Gustafson: "... displays horizontal panels, but is composed of fifteen major and eighteen minor partitions. One of the major components takes up about a third of the weaving and is itself composed of three sections with horizontal bars across the centre section and the two end portions, displaying a vertical zigzag and bar motif. ... (It) is fringed only on three sides. There is no border pattern." Gustafson also notes that blanket exhibits fading colors due to exposure to light, probably while on exhibit. Illus. Fig. 10.13, p. 240 in Brotherton, Barbara. 2008. S'abadeb = The gifts : Pacific Coast Salish arts and artists. Seattle: Seattle Art Museum in association with University of Washington Press. Figure caption: "In her study of Salish weaving, Paula Gustafson categorizes robes by their designs as being classic, colonial or hybrid. This robe fell within the classic category because of its emphasis on geometric patterns arranged in vertical bands. These robes were created between 1778 and 1850, when the indigenous traditions were not influenced by imported motifs and materials (Gustafson 1980: 37.) ... (T)his example consists of fifteen major and eighteen minor design units composed in vertical and horizontal sections. It is tightly twined without a border pattern and is fringed on three sides."Reference: Solazzo, C., S. Heald, M.W. Ballard, D.A. Ashford, P.T. DePriest, R.J. Koestler, and M. Collins. 2011. Proteomics and Coast Salish blankets: A tale of shaggy dogs? Antiquity 85: 1418-1432. http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/085/ant0851418.htm . Identified there as a Classic (1778 - 1850) blanket - weft/fringe Mountain goat hair; warp Salish wool or woolly dog hair.FROM CARD: "CAPE. MADE OF DOG AND GOAT HAIR. REFER: SMITH. I. A.R. 1928, PG. 639, PL. 9-C. ILLUS.: THE SPIRIT SINGS. CATALOGUE, GLENBOW-ALBERTA INST., 1987, #N104, P.155. ILLUS.: FIG. 21, P.18 IN A GUIDE TO WEFT TWINING BY DAVID W. FRASER. PHILADELPHIA: UNIVERSITY OF PENN. PRESS, 1989."X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) testing was conducted on this textile in 2017. Arsenic was detected. The testing suggests this textile was treated with pesticides that contained arsenic. The testing indicates there are high levels of arsenic (over 10,000 ppm). Mercury was also detected. The testing suggests this textile was treated with pesticides that contained mercury. The testing indicates there are medium (300-1,000 ppm) to high levels of mercury. See Anthropology Conservation Lab records for the full report. This object should be handled with gloves. See the Department of Anthropology "Statement on Potential Hazards (Inherent and Acquired) Associated with Collection Objects" for more detailed handling guidelines.Illus. Fig. 31, p. 89, and Fig. 39, p. 99 (detail), in Tepper, Leslie Heymann, Janice George, and Willard Joseph. 2017. Salish Blankets: robes of protection and transformation, symbols of wealth.