Small dance blanket

Description:	Chilkat dancing blankets were made for men and women to wear, or give, at special Northwest Coast occasions. With movement, the soft fringe would give the impression that the blanket was alive and dancing. Other Northwest Coast weavers held the right to weave this type of cloak, but those from the Chilkat Tlingit tribe were the best known. The twined piece was woven by a woman who followed a pattern board, usually painted by a man. The design on this piece was identified for 19th c. ethnologists as either a standing eagle or sea bear. Preparing the materials and then weaving them can take many months. Woven around 1880, this blanket is very different, as not many blankets were made so small. Was it made for a child to wear? We dont know. Maybe it was made for sale to support an educational institution. One hundred years ago, payment for a blanket like this was enough to send a person to college or a missionary school.
Source:	http://www.digitalindy.org/cdm/ref/collection/tcm/id/545
Collection:	The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Rights:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/;
Copyright:	Creative Commons (CC By-SA 3.0);
Subjects:	Indians of North America Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America Indian textile fabrics -- North America Chilkat indians Tlingit Indians Chilkat textile fabrics Hand weaving Blankets Indian dance -- North America

Further information on this record can be found at its source.