Artifact Archive

Woven hats

Woven hats are a hallmark of indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Bear grass and carved wood are materials sometimes incorporated into Tlingit headwear. Tsimshian weavers favored spruce root, with Haida using woven cedar strips. According to the Canada Museum of History, this preference dates back thousands of years. Catherine (Kitty) Young, born in Craig and of Haida heritage, has woven baskets and this cedar hat that is part of the Clausen Memorial Museum collection. Taught to weave by master Delores Churchill, she harvests and dries her own cedar in a process t...