Thunderbird and Sisiyutł Robe
Date2016
Maker
Maxine Matilpi
Kwakwaka’wakw Mumtagila-Thothwitis, born 1956
Label TextMaxine Matilpi’s practice of making button robes follows a nearly two-hundred-year-old tradition of taking trade materials and transforming them into garments of status and honor. The crests of the Thunderbird and two-headed serpent, called Sisiyutł, refer to events in family history. The shape of the robe symbolizes the longhouse, the neckpiece represents the smoke hole, and the border designs refer to aspects of the earth and the seasons.
Object number2016.11
Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann
Credit LineAncient and Native American Art Acquisition Fund and General Acquisition Fund
Dimensions58 x 69 in. (147.3 x 175.3 cm)
MediumMelton wool, wool stoud, cotton cloth, shell buttons
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