Aleutian Bentwood Hats

LECTURES
Lecture: Aleutian Bentwood Hats

Speaker: Patty Lekanoff-Gregory

Date: Thursday, 7^th July 2011, 12 pm

Place: Anchorage Museum, 625 C Street, Anchorage, Alaska (USA)

Webpage: www.anchoragemuseum.org

Admission: $12

Comments: 

Artist Patty Lekanoff-Gregory explains how to make Unangax (Aleut) bentwood hats and their importance in traditional Aleutian Island culture. Included with admission

About the Patty Lekanoff-Gregory:

O. Patricia Lekanoff-Gregory owns A.L.E.U.T. Tours, operating in Unalaska. She is an expert at making traditional Unangam bentwood visors and hats, and mentors at Camp Qungaayux^, a culture camp sponsored by the Qawalangin Tribe, Unalaska City School, the Ounalashka Corporation and the Alaska Systemic Rural Initiative. Patty has served on the Qawalangin Tribal Council (1994 to 2002), the City of Unalaska Parks, Culture and Recreation Advisory Board (1985 to present), the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. (1997 to present), the Unalaska Historic Preservation Commission (1994 to present) and has worked with the Aleut International Association with the Aleuts from Bering Island in Russia. She has also served previously on the Unalaska Visitors' Alliance, the Unalaska/Port of Dutch Harbor Convention and Visitors' Bureau, Unalaska Senior Citizens, and the Unalaska Aleut Development Corporation.

© Text and image: Anchorage Museum

Raven's Tail Bag

Name: Raven’s Tail Bag

Origin: South-East Alaska

Date: contemporary

Museum: Sheldon Jackson Museum, Sitka (Alaska)

Materials: wool of mountain goat

Comments:

A Raven’s Tail bag made by Teri Rofkar is the Sheldon Jackson Museum’s Artifact of the Month for November. The bag, part of the museums Hands-on collection, is made with deer skin, white sheep’s wool, brown buffalo wool, yellow-green dyed wool, and trimmed with sea otter fur. The weaving in the center is “Shadow in Trees” pattern. Rofkar, a Tlingit weaver from Sitka has been weaving Raven’s Tail robes, and spruce root and cedar bark baskets for many years.

Although contemporary art is not, as a rule, collected for the museum’s permanent collection, a Raven’s tail bag has been on the wish list for many years. It will be of great value for the museum’s education collection, for use with school groups, and an example of modern regalia based on ancient techniques and materials. Each November the museum exhibits of one its Native American objects to highlight the diversity of Native cultures of North America in recognition of National American Indian Heritage and Alaska Native Heritage Month.

Raven’s Tail, also identified as “Northern Geometric weaving” is one of the oldest forms of weaving by the Tlingit. Thigh spun warps and weft strands of wool from mountain goat make up the textile. These bags were used as medicine bags, ceremonial clan regalia, and dance bags worn over the shoulder and resting at the hip. The Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum donated the Raven’s Tail bag to the museum’s Hands-on Collection after facilitating an exchange with Rofkar of Tlingit basketry materials which they had purchased.

The Raven’s Tail Bag can be seen at the Sheldon Jackson Museum November 2 through November 30. Winter hours are Tuesday through

© Photo and text: Sheldon Jackson Museum