Woven hat (SiR)

ca. 1880

The bark of the red cedar, a stalwart giant in the Pacific Northwest ecosystem, is rot-resistant and water-repellent and therefore a perfect material for outdoor clothing in the Pacific Northwest! Hats with soft rounded domes seem to have been in vogue in the area in the 19th century (unlike prehistoric and more modern hat styles). Efficiently shedding rainwater, they would be worn by men and women with woven cedar bark capes. Many cedar bark weavers are still making hats in this customary style, as well as in the shapes of baseball caps, visors, and brimmed top hats.

Red cedar bark

6 x 14 in. (15.24 x 35.56 cm)

Gift of Phil and Sylvia Duryee

96.98

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, S'abadeb - The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists, Oct. 24, 2008 - Jan. 11, 2009 (Victoria, British Columbia, Royal British Columbia Museum, Nov. 2009 - Mar. 2010).

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Our Blue Planet: Global Visions of Water, Mar. 18 - May 30, 2022.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

Learn more about Equity at SAM