Smarthistory – Chilkat past and present

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Rizal, Resilience Robe

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Question 1

Which statement seems to best sum up Lily Hope’s attitude toward continuing the tradition of Chilkat weaving?

A	Chilkat weaving has become a popular hobby for people to do in their spare time
B	The excessive expense required to produce traditional weaving threatens its future
C	The excessive expense required to produce traditional weaving threatens its future
D	The extensive labor and commitment is necessary to preserve indigenous culture

Question 2

Which iconographic detail references organizations that work to maintain traditional Native Alaskan art forms like Chilkat weaving?

A	The letters ANB and ANS referring to the Alaskan National Brotherhood and Sisterhood
B	The design at the bottom of the tail referring to the Sealaska Heritage Institute
C	The ships and museum doors referring to interactions with other cultures
D	The central image that depicts the logo of the Sealaska Corporation

Question 3

All of the following features of the Resilience Robe are characteristics of traditional Chilkat weavings EXCEPT

A	The handmade threads made from cedar bark and animal hair
B	The formline design of ovoid and circular shapes with thin and thick black lines
C	The various symbols of Native organizations incorporated into the robe’s design
D	The long fringe that extends from the bottom of the robe

Question 4

Based on the video’s discussion of weaving, which distinguishes traditional Chilkat weaving techniques from weaving done on other types of looms?

A	Horizontal weft threads are woven through the vertical warp threads to create the fabric
B	The vertical warp threads hang loose, so the weaver must manually maintain their tension
C	Weaving the fabric requires both patience and skill acquired through training and practice
D	Chilkat weavings often incorporate animals, crests, and symbols that carry cultural meaning

Question 5

Which may be inferred from the concept of moiety, exemplified in Tlingit culture by the pairing of the Raven and Eagle on the Resilience Robe?

A	The motifs on the Resilience Robe symbolize the persistence of tradition within Tlingit culture
B	The Resilience Robe was intended to be worn as part of a Tlingit marriage ritual
C	Chilkat weavings were made by women and carvings were made by men
D	The Tlingit people frequently interacted with the French, English, and Russians

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Key points

Clarissa Rizal (the mother of Lily Hope, the speaker in the video) was a Chilkat weaver who was part of the Tlingit tribe of Southeast Alaska. Chilkat is a traditional form of weaving that originated among the Tlingit and other tribes in this area. Robes like this one are worn by high-ranking members of the community during important dances and ceremonies.
The creation of a Chilkat robe requires many months or even years of labor. The wool is hand spun and then expertly woven on a loom where the threads are attached only at the top. The techniques used in Chilkat weaving are passed down through generations of female weavers.
Chilkat weaving is traditionally done only by women, but it incorporates formline imagery (curvilinear shapes) that can also be seen in the Northwest Coast wood carving that is typically done by men. This particular robe incorporates both traditional and modern motifs (such as the important tribal symbols of eagle and raven, as well as European ships and museum doors) to express the resilience and continued strength of the Tlingit people.

Go deeper

Learn more about Chilkat weaver Lily Hope

What is the history of Chilkat weaving?

What is the history of the Tlingit people?

What is life like today in the ancestral Tlingit village of Klukwan, Alaska?

Find resources about Southeast Alaskan Native culture from the Sealaska Heritage Institute

What are indigenous rights in Canada?

More to think about

Chilkat weaving demonstrates how the Tlingit people preserve their cultural identity by teaching successive generations the traditional art of Chilkat weaving. What are some other examples of passing on traditions to maintain cultural heritage? How might this practice among different cultures in the United States reveal the nation’s historical shifts and changing notions of individual or national identity over time?

Chilkat past and present

Test your knowledge with a quiz

Rizal, Resilience Robe

Key points

Go deeper

More to think about

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Seeing America

Art histories