Museum Expedition 1904, Museum Collection Fund

Has # 22 tag on it. Early handwoven blanket that would have been worn by women or by Kachina dancers as a cape tied around the neck and tied under the arms.

Long beadwork panel worn down the back like a cape. Letter-like motifs of blue, green, pink, black and yellow beads are spaced horizontally on either side of a stylized house design in the centre of the white beaded background. Each short end is trimmed with a string of coloured beads, one long edge (top of letters) seems unfinished and uneven, and the other has a border of white and blue crochet-like beading dotted with single blue beads.

FROM CARD: "INNER BARK OF WHITE CEDAR. WORN IN WET WEATHER. DANISH NATL MU 1868."Records in the SI Archives of the Office of Distribution (and catalog card) say this was transferred to Copenhagen, Denmark in 1867, but apparently either this is incorrect or it was later returned to the Museum.

A DOWN BLANKET WAS FOUND WITH #2125 ON IT. 2125 IS SUPPOSED TO BE A SALISH BLANKET OF SHEEPS WOOL, THEREFORE JANE WALSH DETERMINED THAT THE DOWN BLANKET WAS MOST PROBABLY ONE OF THE DOWN CAPES # 1296 A & B. ONE OF THESE CAPES WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN SENT TO DENMARK, BUT SINCE 2119 ANOTHER DOWN BLANKET WAS SENT, THE SMALLER ONE WAS NOT. THE DOWN BLANKET NUMBERED 2125 IS NEARLY IDENTICAL TO 1296 (I.E. 1296A), AND IS THEREFORE PRESUMED TO BE THE SECOND 1296 AND HAS BEEN GIVEN THIS NUMBER, 1296B.Records in the SI Archives of the Office of Distribution say one of these (1296A or B) was transferred to Copenhagen, Denmark in 1867, but apparently neither was actually sent.

FROM CARD: "MADE BY MAKAH INDIANS."

FROM CARD: "INNER BARK OF WHITE CEDAR."

FROM CARD: "PAINTED TOTEMIC DESIGNS. LOANED TO THE S.I. CENTENNIAL COMM. 7-9-75. LOAN RETURNED FEB 9 1989."

From card: "Cedar bark cape painted with conventionalized [formline] designs on front."