The paint is black.

The glass bead is blue.

The paint is red and black. The bead is blue.

The metal is nail and metal.

The most prestigious object in any Tlingit clan is the crest hat. It is the physical manifestation of lineage traditions, and can be properly likened to a crown of royalty. On the momentous occasions when it is worn before the people by its noble custodian, it reminds all who see it of its history and of the glorious deeds of the clan ancestors. Chief Shakes' Killer Whale Hat is the royal crown of the Nanyaayi clan of the Stikine Tlingit. (Holm, Spirit and Ancestor, 1987)

George Emmons collected this headdress from a chief of the Koskedi Raven clan at Sitka, Alaska. Although Tlingit headdresses are often attributed to the Tsimshian, many frontlets, including this one, are clearly Tlingit in style. The frontlet's height, the form and arrangement of figures, the blue-painted rim with its widely separated abalone plaques, the red trade flannel, and the mallard-skin border, all point to Tlingit origin. The figures carved on the frontlet are a raven and a large head that resembles a bear. (Holm, Spirit and Ancestor, 1987)