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• Haida artist
• British Columbia, Canada
• 1900-1925
• Spruce root
• Gift of Mrs. James D. Whitmore Estate, 1938.606

Chiefs from the northwest coastal regions of Alaska and Canada have long worn woven hats like this. In Haida culture, women, who excelled in basketry, were responsible for weaving these hats. Men were then tasked with painting the hats with the symbolic crests of the families who commissioned them. The paint colors were traditionally restricted to red and black, although blue or green was occasionally added. This hat follows the traditional Haida weaving methods and features a crest design .