gʷəsdulic’a (robe)
early 20th century
Creamy white wool robes, often mixed with dog hair and vegetal fibers, were worn on ceremonial occasions, such as noble marriages, and also given as gifts to orators and special potlatch guests. The genius of combining a variety of natural materials for added strength and social prestige (wooly dogs were high status), speaks to the intuitive intelligence and quiet labor of nimble fingers that practiced their art forms to instill pride and survivance for their time and into the future.
Mountain goat wool, milkweed fiber, dyes
75 1/2 x 54 1/2 in. (191.77 x 138.43 cm)
Gift of John and Grace Putnam
2006.19
Photo: Susan Cole
