Xoots kudas' (Bear Chilkat shirt)

The designs on this tunic appear in the colors traditionally used in Chilkat robes: black, blue, yellow and white. On the front, indicated by the slit at the center of the neckline, the curvilinear formline design depicts a sitting sea bear, which is recognized by its upright ears, clawed paws, feet and the fins attached to its elbows. "Formline" is the term coined by scholar Bill Holm to describe the overall design system created by artists on the northern Northwest Coast. Holm developed the terms used to identify elements within designs and the structure of the design as a whole. "Formline" is defined as "the characteristic swelling and diminishing line like figure delineating design units. These formlines merge and divide to make a continuous flowing grid over the whole decorated area, establishing the principal forms of the design." It is most often seen in carved works, but was also beautifully translated to woven forms.

Representing the bear clan crest of the owner, this tunic would be worn by a high-ranking individual in a ceremony such as a potlatch or great feast, during which individual and social privileges are displayed and confirmed in a context of speechmaking, feasting, singing and dancing. Witnesses of the presentations of crests, names and the rights to songs, dances, and masks receive payment in the form of gifts as validation of rightful ownership.