© 2006 Clarissa Hudson

Private Collection, Merce Island, WA
6-piece Ravenstail & Chilkat Ceremonial Regalia
includes robe, apron, headdress, leggings & octopus bag
Merino wool, cedarbark, ermine, copper cones and small copper T’naa, leather, cotton fabric
Contact Clarissa for permission to use image for educational purposes only

“Copper Man” is the mate to “Copper Woman” which was completed in 2002 and presently in the collection of the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. All six of the Copper Man regalia pieces are Ravenstail weavings with the exception of the leggings with the upper half being Chilkat and the bottom half Ravenstail. Copper cones trim all the fringe.

Copper Man’s robe is called “The Lyme’s Disease” robe because it was designed and woven during my personal episode with battling the disease. There are a few “mistakes” I hadn’t noticed until weeks later; I decided to leave the mistakes in the robe to remind me of a time in my life where I was “out of it” and then took my own initiative to heal myself of a debilitating disease.

The dance apron is backed with leather and the bottom border is trimmed with small, hand-stamped, copper T’naa. The leggings are woven in the shape of a copper T’naa, lined with fringed leather and trimmed with black mink fur. I wove the headdress on a round trip flight to Hawaii/Colorado; it is lined with cotton, trimmed in black velvet and three small copper T’naa on the forehead.

In February 2006, I wove the main body of the octopus bag while traveling to, and attending, Agnes’ Bellinger’s memorial service and funeral; the octopus bag is lined with cotton, has eight legs and two round eyes. The black leather strap and the bag opening are trimmed with copper chain.