Hat Item Number: E 1902.373 from the MAA: University of Cambridge
Description
Truncated cone-shaped hat made from spruce root and decorated with black red and green design which is too faint to easily identify. The hat has a high crown, and a wide brim woven in a pattern of concentric diamonds.; Good
Context
The shape of this hat is typical of the northern style made by the Tlingit and the Haida (G.Crowther). The original European tribal names and, where possible, current tribal names have both been given in separate GLT fields. This hat is marked as E 1902.273, but accessioned as E 1902.373.; Hats are made from spruce root woven using a technique called skip-stitch twining which produces the different textures on the brims and crowns, e.g. diagonal lines, concentric diamonds, etc. The hats were woven by women and the painted designsadded by men, however both genders wore the hats. The hats were used for everyday, and the decorated hats were part of the ceremonial regalia bearing the crests of the owner' s lineage worn during feasts and potlatches. Individual artists are known to sign their painted designs by using a star on the top of the hat, for example Tom Price, a Haida artist used a five point red star, while Charles Edenshaw another Haida artist used a four point star divided into red and black segments. See Bill Holm 1983 The Box of Daylight (University of Washington Press: Seattle and London), pages 47-49.; Exhibited: Old anthropological displays CUMAA, removed from case 36 22081986. New anthropological display CUMAA 1990-.
Item History
- Made in British Columbia, Canada
- Received from S.J. Freeman during 1902
What
- Name
- Hat
- Identification Number
- E 1902.373
- Type of Item
- hat
- Material
- root and spruce wood
Who
- Culture
- Haida
- Received from
- S.J. Freeman
Where
- Holding Institution
- MAA: University of Cambridge
- Made in
- British Columbia, Canada
When
- Acquisition Date
- during 1902
Other
- Keyword
- Ceremonial Objects; Clothing; Personal Adornment