conical hat

unrecorded Haida or Tlingit artist, artist

conical hat, late 1800s–1926

Where object was made: District of Alaska or Alaska Territory (present-day Alaska), United States or British Columbia, Canada

Material/technique: spruce root; weaving; possibly dyeing

Dimensions:
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 19 x 35 cm
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 7 1/2 x 13 3/4 in

Credit line: Gift of George W. Reed

Accession number: 2007.2547

Not on display

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Label texts

Roots and Journeys: Encountering Global Arts and Cultures

The Haida people of the Queen Charlotte Islands historically created tightly woven conical hats that are highly effective at shedding water and shielding the wearer from the sun. Haida hats, which have a distinctive weave pattern, were often traded to neighboring groups such as the Tlingit who applied their own clan designs. While the hats were important functionally, they also served to identify the wearer as belonging to a particular community or clan and to convey status, as embellishments were added when a person’s status accrued. Today such hats are prized possessions worn on important or ceremonial occasions.

Exhibition Label:
"Roots and Journeys: Encountering Global Arts and Cultures," Jul-2011, Nancy Mahaney
The Haida people of the Queen Charlotte Islands historically created tightly woven conical hats that are highly effective at shedding water and shielding the wearer from the sun. Haida hats, which have a distinctive
weave pattern, were often traded to neighboring groups such as the Tlingit who applied their own clan designs. While the hats were important functionally, they also served to identify the wearer as belonging to a particular
community or clan and to convey status, as embellishments were added when a person’s status accrued. Today such hats are prized possessions worn on important or ceremonial occasions.