Ravenstail weaving

Ravenstail weaving (yéil koowú),^[1] also known as Raven's Tail weaving, is a traditional form of geometric weaving-style practiced by Northwest Coast peoples.^[2]

Weaver Teri Rofkar with a Ravenstail ceremonial blanket robe she wove.

History

The practice of Ravenstail and Chilkat weaving originated among the Tsimshian, and was retained by traditional Tlingit and Haida weavers in present-day Alaska.^[3] Ravenstail weaving is thought to be a precursor to Chilkat weaving.^[2] Ravenstail weaving has sharp, geometric lines and minimal colors; while Chilkat weaving visually looks more natural with curved lines and a larger color palette.^[3]

Ravenstail uses a finger-weaving technique called 'twining'.^[4] Typically, for Ravenstail pieces, it is created in modern times using black and white (and sometimes yellow) colored merino sheep-wool^[5] (sometimes with the traditional slender strands of animal sinew or, a more modern substitute, small amounts of silk)^[6] or, when legally available and affordable to the weaver, the original traditional fiber, yarn made from wild mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) wool,^[7] to create bold geometric woven patterns.^[4] The early examples, ones made before first contact with foreign explorers and traders who introduced sheep's wool to the continent, were constructed from mountain goat-wool yarn.^[8] There are not many surviving historical examples, with roughly a dozen Ravenstail robes in North American and European museums.^[9]

Revival

After the 1800s, Ravenstail died out of popularity and due to the rise of new weaving innovations and techniques.^[10] The Ravenstail weaving technique almost went extinct after 200 years of inactivity.^[9][11]

Cheryl Samuel was the first person to replicate Ravenstail weaving for revival purposes, and by the mid-1980s she had obtained permission from several Pacific Northwest indigenous tribes to revive the art to regularly teach classes on the subject.^[1] In 1987, Samuel published a book The Raven's Tail: Northern Geometric Style Weaving (University of British Columbia Press). In the 1990s additional research was done to bring back the traditional craft; and museums and cultural centers in the Alaskan cities of Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka struggled together to revive the craft by working with both Natives and non-Natives.^[9][11] In November 1990, a Ravenstail Weaver's Guild was formed in Ketchikan through the Totem Heritage Center, and served to strengthen craft community between Native and non-Natives in the United States and Canada.^[11][1]

In 2021 the exhibition The Spirit Wraps Around You: Northern Northwest Coast Native Textiles, was held at the Alaska State Museum and included Ravenstail weaving while highlighted the oldest known weavings from Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast.^[12]

Notable weavers

• Delores Churchill (Haida)^[8][13]
• Lily Hope (Tlingit)^[14]
• Lani Hotch (Tlingit)^[15]
• Marie Oldfield (Tsimshian)^[15]
• Clarissa Rizal (Tlingit)^[16]
• Teri Rofkar (Tlingit)
• Cheryl Samuel (non-Native),^[4] the first person to replicate the technique during the revival period.^[1]
• Ann Smith (Tlingit/Tutchone)^[4]
• Evelyn Vanderhoop (Haida)^[17]

See also

• Button blankets