“Resilience” Chilkat robe with Christian symbol and filler U-shapes
When you catch the “weaver’s bug”, all you wanna do is weave, weave, weave. We can get so obsessive about weaving that we will tend to neglect the rest of our life and all the things that need tending (i.e. family, relationships, body, house, other business, etc.). My teacher, the late Jennie Thlunaut brought this challenge to my attention. She did not explain what would happen to me when I caught the “weaver’s bug”, she explained things like this: “…you be good to your husband…!” or “…take time out to eat and sleep!” or “…be good to your kids!”
Yep, that’s all I wanna do is weave. Alas….sigh….there are other things I love just as much!
Thank you Jennie, for taking me under your wings to teach me more than just weaving! You changed my life in many more ways than just being a weaver!
This Chilkat “Resilience” robe is a “document” depicting icons of Western influences that changed our Northwest Coast indigenous peoples during the past 300+ years; this design includes Native logos reflecting cultural integration and strength.
The Icons and their meanings:
• ships – Russians, Spanish and English explorers/traders
• double doors flanked by columns – museums, collectors, anthropologists
• pair of hands holding the gold pan – mining, western monetary system
• Christian symbol – Christianity, missionaries, organized religions, boarding schools
The Logos and meanings:
• Eagle and Raven represents the clan system-the fundamental foundation of the culture; also represents the Tlingit and Haida Central Council (logo) established in 1935
• Within each wing, logos of the ANB (Alaska Native Brotherhood) established 101 years ago in 1912 and the ANS (Alaska Native Sisterhood) were first indigenous civil rights groups in the U.S. – these two organizations gave “flight” for indigenous rights
• Within the chest of the Eagle and Raven, the Sealaska Corporation logo, 1 of 13 Regional Native Corporations of Alaska spawned from the passing of the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1971 – these organizations reflect the “heart” of the present-day cultures’ integrating western ways of living and conducting western business while maintaining cultural values and ethics
• Tail – the new “rudders”; the new institutions created to assist in archiving, preserving and perpetuating the Native cultures of today; depicted is the Sealaska Heritage Institute (logo) established in 1980.
I am using Ravenstail techniques on the left and right sides of the robe. I’ll also weave Ravenstail here and there in the central design field of the robe. It’s fun to incorporate the Ravenstail weaving patterns into the Chilkat robes.