Chilkat robes, called Naxein (“fringe about the body) in Tlingit, are woven from mountain goat wool spun with cedar bark. The robes are woven over a pattern board, which was historically painted by men, and a large or complex example may take up to a year to produce. Chilkat robes have long been a symbol of healing, status, and wealth for Northwest Coast nations up and down the coast. Chilkat weaving was considered a critically endangered artform for much of the 20th century, until the 1970s when Tlingit master weaver Jennie Thlunaut (1891-1986) took on several apprentices who carried on the practice and passed on their skills.

This diminutive robe was made for a child to wear and dance. Its construction is virtually identical to larger robes, save for some slightly adjusted proportions and a truncated design to accommodate the smaller surface. The robe features a human face in the centre which is flanked by geometrically woven formline u-forms, circles, and eyes. The outer designs appear to depict bird wings. Even on larger robes it can be difficult to determine the imagery unless you’re familiar with the intent of the weaver, and here that is doubly so as all of the designs have been abbreviated. Given the time of manufacture and the relatively small number of weavers, it’s likely that this robe could someday be attributed to a specific maker.