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

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, American Art: The Stories We Carry, Oct. 20, 2022 - ongoing.

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