Open Thread – Chilkat Blanket
A beautiful gem from the State Museum in Juneau.
Anna Brown Ehlers (Tlingit)
Wool, cedar bark
Gift of the Rasmuson Foundation Art Acquisition Initiative, 2008
The art of Chilkat weaving has been practiced in southeast Alaska for at least two centuries. This very laborious and challenging technique is used to make ceremonial robes and other regalia decorated with clan crests. The Tlingit name for the robes, “naaxein” refers to the long fringe of the robe that flays about wildly when danced. Today there are fewer than a dozen weavers making these robes.
Ike from Miowa says the other one is on breakation until weather cools down. No surgery yet. Change in insurance, Too much heat ,will return at later date when cools off. Stay cool.
Gulnalcheesh! A tribute to the folks of Klukwan and the Chilkat Valley.
Does this translate to thanks or gratitude? Two different definitions: warring interweb(s). So out of the loop, one should really consider me loopless!
YES…!
The current debt ceiling bill hasn’t even hit the floor of the Senate yet but Yertl the Turtle has already announced plans to take the country hostage again the next time it needs to be raised.
“It set the template for the future. In the future, Neil, no president — in the near future, maybe in the distant future — is going to be able to get the debt ceiling increased without a re-ignition of the same discussion of how do we cut spending and get America headed in the right direction. ”
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/08/01/285025/mcconnell-vows-to-hold-debt-ceiling-hostage-again/
I think he just provided Democrats the sound bites for next year’s campaign.
I, too have been thinking of Mike, and his surgeried foot, and missing his wicked humor. The blanket is a marvel. Can’t wait till I have an opportunity to visit museums in Alaska. I love me some museums, and treasure my memberships in the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian. Used to be a MOMA member, but I dislike so many of their exhibits, I let it go.
Good to see Rep. Giffords back.
I wish they would be voting for a pay raise for the USA. We deserve it. The revenues we should demand should reflect the revenues we were paying ourselves back in the Clinton days.
She looks wonderful! This is a miracle and we get to watch!
I am one of Rep. Giffords’ constituents, and am so proud of her and amazed at her bounce-back ability. I only wish that the bill she showed up to approve was more worthy of her.
Mike, my brother – where art thou?
Gabrielle has returned to Washington to support bipartisan bill to prevent economic crisis. Turn on C-SPAN now to see this historic moment: http://c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN/
That was the best moment in the House today. I’m so glad that she was able to come back, and what a stunning way to do it. Way to go, Gabby! ♥
After the last few weeks of acrimonious debate, name calling, lying, whining, and general pissiness, there is nothing that could have brought all of the members of Congress together…
…except the return of Gabby Giffords.
She reminds everyone of what’s good about this country and its people. And we all needed that.
Thank you, Congresswoman Giffords, for reminding us of what’s REALLY important.
Truly awesome. Puts everything into perspective. What an inspiring, courageous woman.
Does the right have ANY morals left at all?
Americans for Prosperity (funded by the delightful Koch boys) has been sending applications for absentee ballots to Democrats in at least two districts in Wisconsin, instructing them to return the application to the AFP office to be processed (but will they really be forwarded?) and return the recall ballots by August 11.
Problem is, the recall election is on August 9. Both the cover letter and the application have the wrong date.
The state director for AFP claimed that it was a typo and that the mailings only went to members of AFP. However, several people who received them are active Democrats who never had any connection with AFP.
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/126530753.html
* * * * * * *
In another story, the headquarters of the Democratic advocacy group We Are Wisconsin in LaCrosse was destroyed by fire on Saturday. Right next door to the destroyed building is the campaign office for the Democratic challenger in the recall election. The fire is under investigation.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/126490178.html
* * * * * * *
If this is the kind of blatantly illegal stuff the right wing is doing for a state recall election, I can’t imagine what they have planned for the Presidential election next year. We may need election observers from other countries watching our polls to make sure there’s no fraud. How embarrassing!
Neva’s story about ANI is up now.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/08/alaska%E2%80%99s-rural-newspapers-close-their-doors/
awww she even quoted me! (*blush*) What a great reporter!! I hope that she will continue her hard work bringing attention to Alaskan Issues!!
Here is the artist’s website. I could stay here all day!
http://home.gci.net/~annaehlers/chilkatweaver/home.html
Here are links to two other sites that have similar posts, supporting the idea that the President got a lot more in this deal than it might seem at first:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/08/another_take_5.php?ref=fpblg
http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2011/08/paul-krugman-is-political-rookie-or-how.html
I feel a lot more positive about this whole mess than I did this morning!
Mo @ 8
Just read the web site you posted and now I am wondering if I should or should not make this call.
Seems damm if we do and damm if we don’t reach an aggreement with the damm Reps.
URGENT UPDATE
Congress is set to take the final votes on a debt deal that the vast majority of MoveOn members oppose. Can you call Rep. Loebsack right now and urge him to oppose the deal?
Representative Dave Loebsack
Phone: 202-225-6576
And you wonder why the President has such problems dealing with Congress?
<>
‘Tar baby’??? Seriously??? Is this 2011 or 1811?
I suppose we should at least be grateful that so many RWNJs are being openly racist these days, instead of hiding it like they used to. It makes it so much easier to identify them.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/08/01/284815/gop-rep-lamborn-associating-with-obama-is-like-touching-a-tar-baby/
Oops! I was trying to avoid the use of multiple sets of quotation marks and ended up getting rid of the entire quote. Here it is:
Appearing on the Caplis and Silverman radio show last Friday, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) said, “Now I don’t even want to have to be associated with [Obama], it’s like touching a tar baby and you’re stuck, you’re part of the problem now. You can’t get away.”
wonderful art AKM. thank you.
Meanwhile, back at the economy…
This sounded pretty good to me:
http://jaredbernsteinblog.com/lousy-negotiating-skills-are-not-the-problem/
Absolutely gorgeous and fascinating. So, any idea when this blanket was made?
And its dimensions? beth.
The State Museum’s collections database is out of service at the moment, or I’d have searched for that info for you. If it’s on exhibit, I could find out the next time I’m in there. Anna is a contemporary weaver and is still weaving, so I don’t think it’s terribly old.
Oh, wait, it was a Rasmuson Foundation purchase, so was prob. made within the couple of years prior to its acquisition in 2008.
What a treasure!!!!!
I am a fiber artist and can appreciate the work that has gone into makeing this work of art.
Spinning, dyeing fiber and knitting takes a lot of time and patience, but this piece blows my mind.Thank for sharing.
Beautifully stunning indeed !
Beautiful blanket.
How many stories it holds!
Good find, jimzmum.
2 weeks from today, it’s back to school for me.
It should be an Interesting Year for public education in the library, in the school, in the district, in the state, in the nation.
We’re supposed to have more rain today, but I have some indoor projects to work on.
Dear Happy has to go to the dentist, bless his heart.
Speaking of bless his heart, where’s mike?
in Iowa, I know, but I haven’t seen him around here for awhile and I’m getting a bit concerned…
L’Shalom,
thatcrowwoman
I am wondering, too. I thought I must have missed something.
Me, too…thought I’d missed something about why our own mike from iowa wasn’t here. I enjoy his posts so much — he always makes them with a wonderful twist of humor…usually wicked! beth.
Three weeks for me. BTW, ThatCrowWoman, I had an interesting experience about two weeks ago. I went out to feed my ponies (Welsh) and checked the water level and quality in the trough. This time of year it gets murky fast in the desert heat, so I clean the trough once a week. I couldn’t see the bottom of the trough, but a raven feather was floating on top. I reached in to pull it off, and an open, black, raven beak slowly broke the surface from beneath. After I carefully tucked myself back into my skin, I reached under and pulled out a juvenile raven. Poor thing! I tipped her over and out ran lots of water. She was so cold that when I put her on the ground in the sun, she just tipped over. She couldn’t unclench her feet or open her wings. She still had some pin feathers too. I rinsed her off, wrapped her into a towel, and took her to some people who used to do raven rescues. She was strong enough to bite me, so I’m hoping she survived. I’ll keep you posted. I love those silly, damn clowns of the bird world. Their dumpster diving behind the Pizza Hut really cracks me up.
We are going to call the Wild Bird Rescue about our young hawk. He is getting entirely too friendly, although we do not feed him, nor do we put out water (the river is less than a mile away, and two creeks before that). But, he just likes us or something, and we are petrified that he is going to come to harm. Last night, he sat on a stump (sigh) about two feet from Himself and watched him answering emails. He also hangs out at one of the back doors and tries to come in! So, maybe they can help him. He is so beautiful. Getting his grown-up feathers!
awwwww. himself has a new son. a feathered baby for you. he has worked out that you have food in the house and has rightly decided to move in beak and claw….heheh.
I’ll be watching for updates. 🙂
Me, three. I always enjoy his posts and sense of humor. Hope he’s ok…
i too am missing Mike. have been a bit distracted lately but am thinking of everyone.
i remember Mike was facing foot surgery. get in touch Mike let us know where you are so we can send cards and love and cheesecake and cold milk and stuff.
And a teenage hawk!
heehee. yup.
If it were Mike replying, I’m sure he’d say that foot surgery had inhibited his ability to type!
But Mike, here’s a prayer that you and your foot are just fine!
seconding that , Mike!
Wow, AKM, you do have an eye for beauty. What a way to start the week!
Can someone tell me how the cedar is incorporated with the wool? Tried to figure it out, but couldn’t.
Are strips combined with the wool as it is woven?
I was fascinating by the mention of the cedar, too. I went looking around, and found this:
http://www.pathgallery.com/itoolkit.asp?pg=CHILKAT_WEAVING_TECH
I don’t know how accurate this is, because I have no knowledge of it, but here is a snip of the page:
“hilkat Weaving Description by Verna Hunt – Chartrand
Medium: Yellow Cedar Bark, goat’s wool. Beaver fur, and cotton
Yellow Cedar Bark: The yellow cedar bark is harvested in early spring. The cedar bark is peeled away from the tree in strips. The outer dark brown bark is removed from the strips leaving the yellow bark that is beneath. The yellow bark cedar is dried until it is to be used. Before used in Chilkat pieces the cedar bark is boiled in water for three days to remove resins (sap) from it, after process is complete, the cedar bark takes on a paper like quality. The next step is to soak the yellow cedar bark, and using a needle make strips as thin as possible (as thin as a sheet of paper) and the width is about an eight of an inch. These strips of cedar bark are used when spinning warp.
Warp: Goats wool is used. Two thin strands of goats’ wool and two thin strips of cedar bark are hand spun together between the spinner’s hand and thigh. The warp is spun without the use of a spindle. Warp is hung vertically on a loom by placing determined lengths of warp between the horizontal board of a loom and a thin strip of leather. Sinew is used to tie the leather to the loom, which holds the warp in place.
Weft: The weft is yarn, which travels horizontally across the warp. The use of different colors is what creates the design.
Beaver Fur: Is used to adorn the tops of the Chilkat woven bags.”
“fascinated” *sigh*
Wow! I had no idea! It’s so ingenuous, and yet society often treats the indigenous people as an inferior culture. Inferior my ass! I would love to have a blanket like this; it’s a treasure.
Wow! No wonder there are so few people who know how to do it these days. What a beautiful blanket and what an amazing art form!
Thanks for sharing, AKM…you always find the most interesting things to show us!
Jimzmum – thanks for the great research work! Now I;m trying to figure out if the gold cross hatching around the outer eye could be the cedar. Can’t figure out the cross hatching either, since the description you sent mentions warp and weft.
See what you started, AKM??
That’s what I’m thinking, tigerwine.
Cedar bark does peel off in long fibrous strips, but I’ve never done any weaving with it…
DH Happy has some cedar logs cut…wonder what shape the bark is in? I’m pretty sure he hasn’t skinned it off yet…)
*wheels spinning*
🙂
and Little bird will be home Thursday through Monday!
🙂 also, too.
Cedar bark for basket and robe weaving is traditionally stripped from live trees (just a small section from any one tree at any one time, then they’re given decades to heal). I’m not sure if bark from downed trees, esp. if they’ve been sitting for a while, is useable, but you could try. You’ll need to soak it in rainwater or deionized water and separate the outer bark off. It’s the inner bark that’s used, and it may take a while for it to become pliable enough to use.
Wow! Look how beautiful. I love that blue. I hope I can come back some day for a long time. There is so much I want to see. Museums all over the state are at the top of the list. I am a person who is thrilled to visit a museum. Thank you for that picture, AKM.
Beautiful!!! Simply stunning. Wish I knew how to make a blanket like that!
Had to jump on and make a comment since no one else has yet 😉
Ok now I am going to bed. Just happened to be up finishing a post on my blog and saw this blank comment slate over here and decided to be the first to post a comment.
Good night Everyone!! Catch y’all tomorrow!!! zzzzzzzzzz
And how is Ann? I haven’t seen you comment since forever.
I am well, thanks 😉 I have been commenting for hmm a week or two since I got DSL at our new home 😀
How ’bout you?
I am fine but cooking in the California desert; although, I have to say that we have had a relatively mild summer. Are you living in a big city or a village these days , if you don’t mind me asking? I always wondered where you ended up.
Check out my blog WakeUpAmerica the story is there. I am on part 6 right now. I can’t answer your questions or it will give away my next post LOL