Clarissa received a "Visiting Artists" Fellowship Award from the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian and a research award from the Alaska Humanities Forum. This is part of a project that she and fellow artist, Donna Foulke are documenting: Northwest Coast Native dance regalia (http://foulkeart.com/documentary/). In November 2006, she researched Northwest Coast Native dance regalia (with an emphasis on Chilkat weavings) in varioius museum collections on the East Coast, including the NMAI Cultural Resource Center and the National Museum of Natural History in Suitland, Maryland, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, the Peabody Museum Harvard in Cambridge, Massachussets, the Brooklyn Art Museum and the Museum of Natural History in New York City. Including photographs, the following is her research essay (Contact Clarissa for permission to use images or text for educational purposes only):

"Visiting My Relatives” --Researching Northwest Coast Native Dance Regalia by Clarissa Hudson

Native people along the Northwest Coast store their ceremonial regalia, at.oow, the sacred objects, in large, carved, cedar bentwood boxes; some store them in large plastic totes. These clan possessions are brought out for special occasions such as the potlatch, the koo.eex, the adoption or naming of someone, a wedding, or a funeral. Some of these objects are brought out once a year. I know of a robe that was brought out once in 60 years. During any of these events, much money is spent on its production, thousands of dollars “taken in” and “given out.” Many people work to coordinate the event. The production of these elaborate clan events may take several years to plan. Clan members of the event send out invitations at least a year in advance. Up to 1000 people may attend. Yet, most of a clan object’s life is spent stored in the large carved or painted boxes, “incubating” until the next time it is called upon viewed in ceremony. In the meantime, the ceremonial objects have appointed clan caretakers, the temporary keepers of the objects, who store the object carefully, attend to any repairs, attend to its well-being.

Some of these ceremonial clan objects were collected and are stored in many museums across North America and in various museums in Europe. Every museum has its own storage method. Each item is assigned a number for easy reference and location. Some objects are stored in low flat boxes set amongst other boxes, side by side in shelving cabinets.

Some are stored in large flat metal drawers in very large cabinets in height from floor to ceilings among hundreds and hundreds of other boxes stored in sophisticated movable shelving units that when you push a button, the wall of shelving electronically move apart like Moses parting the Red Sea, exposing more shelves of more objects; it is certainly most overwhelming. Some of the objects were collected by way of purchase, trade or theft, 60 to 200+ years ago, and were put into storage and have never been seen since.

These large metal storage containers, like our bentwood cedar boxes, house our ceremonial clan objects, that remain dormant, remain “waiting”, until a visitor comes along, or an event takes place. A hired caretaker, the keeper of the objects, carefully stores each item, attends to its well-being and accommodates any visitors. A special occasion may call upon a specific object to “come out” to be viewed amongst other related items of its nature, to what the museums call an “exhibit.” The museum plans at least two years in advance for the event to take place and sometimes the exhibit may travel to another museum or another institution in several towns for several years. Thousands of dollars are “taken in” and “given out” to produce the exhibit. Many people work to coordinate the event. Announcements are sent out, and unlike the Native people’s more intimate relationship where we generally know and invite the opposite clan members, the whole world is invited to view the exhibit. Then, when the exhibit has come to term, the items are returned to their respective storage containers, returning to their large metal boxes, and may never see the light of day for another 50 to 100 years.

I visited several of the museums on the East Coast in November 2006. The above narrative is a perspective I hadn’t had until the first day of my visits beginning at the Cultural Resource Center in Suitland. Unexpectedly, I felt overwhelmed by the idea of visiting selected artifacts from my homeland; what had I gotten myself into? Although these objects are so-called inanimate, I felt I was visiting my ancestors, my relatives, who in my mind and heart, are very much still alive. The above perspective was my spirit’s method of enabling me to gracefully move through an intense three weeks of visits without too much emotional attachment or judgments of the present-day caretakers. Once I was complete with each visit, the perspective also provided the allowance for me to feel okay about “leaving behind my relatives.”

Speaking of visiting my relatives, I received a very significant omen on my very first day of my research at the Cultural Resource Center. The “caretaker” Tom Evans, led me into the large room to a large table where I may put my belongings. To the right of me I saw a metal shelf with a few things on it. Tom mentioned the things on the shelf were recent acquisitions; I was drawn to what seemed to be a button robe folded neatly with a sheet of paper showing the image of the robe. What?! It was a robe I made about 14 years ago; the design of a guitar-player surrounded by singing dancers! This robe was based on the poster design my husband did for the 20th Annual Alaska Folk Festival. The Inuit Gallery in Vancouver wanted the robe to display in their gallery. Last year in 2005, an anonymous buyer purchased the robe from the Gallery and donated it to the National Museum of Natural History. I have generally sold most of my robes directly to the buyer, or had them commissioned, so I always knew who belonged to each robe. In this case, for over a year I had not known what had happened to the robe, until this very first moment of my research! It is interesting the very first thing I would come across in my research would be a robe that I had designed and made! I knew that I was in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

I am a descendent from the Snail House T’akDeinTaan Raven Clan in Hoonah, Alaska. My mother was born and raised there; we are a matrilineal society, so we take our mother’s clan. In the 1940s, the entire village of Hoonah burned down, burning the old dance regalia, cedar boxes, masks—everything. The four main clans in Hoonah had lost so many things, so many “relatives.” There were a few things that survived the fire. In the early 1900s, there was a man Louis Shotridge from Klukwan, Alaska, who was hired by the University of Pennsylvania Museum to collect artifacts. Louis collected hundreds of items from various clans throughout the Northwest Coast; many of the items came from our Snail House. Many objects were documented as being collected the year my mother was born: 1925. I was amazed at the quality of workmanship, the ingenuity of some of the pieces and there was a pride in me I had not ever felt before when I thought of our clan while photographing these pieces. There was a part of me that had “come home,” reunited for just over an hour, as I touched my relatives, and in turn they touched me.

When I embarked on this journey of researching the collection of Northwest Coast Native dance regalia, I did not consider the number of Chilkat robes that would be “incubating,” rolled up or laid flat in drawers upon drawers in the museums. I was astounded at how many robes were “out there” and, come to think of it, there are probably more robes in the museums across North America and Europe than the ones being used today in ceremony amongst the Native people along the Northwest Coast. In 5 museum collections, I identified 21 Chilkat robes and 1 tunic woven by my teacher, Jennie Thlunaut. She had woven 50 robes and 6 tunics in her 96 years and is considered to be one of the most prolific Chilkat weavers in Native history. When I conveyed this information to Susan Haskell, Collections Manager at the Peabody Museum Harvard, she suggested an exhibit of Jennie’s work. Of course, I jumped at the idea and presented an outline of my thoughts and ideas to John Haworth at the Gustav Heye Center in NYC.

No matter how large or small the robe. every Chilkat weaver has a signature at the bottom right and left hand corner of their robes These signatures are a woven “tie off” to secure the ends of the side braids on either side of the robe. Jennie’s signature was the yellow/blue(or green) checkerboard pattern. She told me that I had to invent my own signature because every weaver had one to distinguish whose weavings were whose. These photos show 2 robes woven by Jennie, one a standard size of about 6 feet wide, the much smaller one not quite 2 feet wide. Both robes have her signature, each signature has the equivalent number of checkerboard pattern based on the width of the side braids; the smaller the side braids, the smaller the number in the checkerboard pattern.

Softer than merino wool, the mountain goat fibers twined with thin strips of cedar bark haunted me as I fingered through the many Chilkat robes in the museums. Who were these Chilkat weavers who came before me; what were their names? Who are their great grand-children? Will any of my daughters eventually continue this tradition? What is the importance of carrying on this tradition? Some of these robes were woven over 200 years ago and in the last couple of generations, this art form was just about lost. I am one of few weavers who continue this tradition. 200 years is not a very long time; my 50 years has gone by in a flash, and if I am fortunate, I may only live another 30. What will I be doing within these next 30 years? I have projects remaining to be experienced and shared, including the fruits of my experiences as an NMAI Visiting Artist.

My NMAI Community Project* from my Visiting Artist research will be public presentations beginning in March 2007, in various towns throughout Southeast Alaska, Yukon Territory and British Columbia. In S.E. Alaska, they include: Juneau, Sitka, Hoonah, and Ketchikan; Whitehorse and Teslin, Yukon Territory and, Kincolith, Nass River, British Columbia. The Presentation will be on the subject of my experiences, discoveries, and several project plans, with an emphasis on the preservation and perpetuation of Chilkat weaving. The presentations will be advertised via internet on my Clarissa Hudson website, and the publications and websites of the Juneau Empire, Sitka Sentinal, Ketchkan Daily News, the Whitehorse/Teslin Native Council, the NWC Artists’ Gathering email list and personal contacts with my Chilkat weaving students and fellow weavers. The presentation will include the following:

• A speech on my research experiences with excerpts from my narrative, and discoveries of weaving and spinning techniques
• Power Point Presentation of Northwest Coast Native dance regalia I photographed with an emphasis on the Chilkat and some Ravenstail robes and weavings
• PPP of Jennie’s robes and weavings (21 out of 50 robes; 1 of 6 tunics), leading to making pertinent contacts for an exhibit of Jennie’s robes and weavings; in 2008-10
• Encouragement to the Native artists in the audience to work towards applying for the NMAI Visiting Artist Program
• Demonstration on how to spin the Chilkat weft yarns. Demo will then lead into inviting those who desire to experience spinning the weft yarns on the “Charkha,” the portable, wooden, “Bible-size” spinning wheel (Ghandhi used back in the 1920s-30s to encourage peace within, beginning with one person at a time.)

After comparing the mountain goat wool Chilkat robes of long ago to our present-day merino wool woven robes, I want to encourage all Chilkat weavers to begin collecting mountain goat wool and spin their own weft yarns instead of purchasing ready-made! Several of my Chilkat students and friends in Juneau, are already inspired by the Charkha and want to learn how to spin. Some will have purchased their own Charkha ($125.00 each) prior to the Presentation. You may purchase a Charkha (and video, etc.) through thewoolery.com

Where does a Chilkat or Ravenstail weaver obtain mountain goat wool? That is a very good question. They are hard to come by; we no longer have hunters within our families or friends who provide us with the hides. The mountain goat live in treacherous areas in high country hard to reach, so we cannot collect the wool off the bushes. Yet, if enough weavers put out the intention that we would like to be provided with mountain goat hides and wool, eventually our desire will be fulfilled.

The weft yarns spun by some of the participating Chilkat weavers will be used to begin weaving their first Chilkat robe in a class I intend to teach starting in May 2007. The completed robes from this class will be a part of the exhibit of Jennie Thlunaut’s robes, to show the continuance of a tradition, that although was almost lost, is alive and well.

My most positive experiences during my visit were the NMAI staff members, keepers and curators I met, all along the way, including the chaperone host, Keevin Lewis. NMAI must keep this man as the Program Coordinator! He’s responsible, has a sense of humor, tolerant and, he opens a lot of doors, in many more ways than one! My most difficult experience was being a week in NYC; just not used to the pace, the darkness, the stink, the dirt and grime, the noise level, etc. After my 3-week research was over, I flew in to the Durango airport. I couldn’t believe how happy I was to be returning back to Colorado; I wanted to scream “…hey! Isn’t it wonderful to see the dry, open landscape and the blue, blue skies and feel the warm sun on this beautiful Fall day!? I had never responded like this coming back to Colorado; a return to Alaska, yes, but never to Colorado until this day, the day before Thanksgiving 2006! Truly a moment of thanks giving!

I appreciate the support I received from the Smithsonian’s NMAI Visiting Artist Program and the Alaska Humanities Forum for providing me with the opportunity to do something I would never have done in my lifetime; I would not have been able to afford it and I really had no interest whatsoever in Museums in the first place, so why did I apply for the research award(?)...I am interested in designing and creating Native dance regalia and I was curious what the museums had in their collections! After this experience, not only have I gained inspiration for new works, but have made new friends and acquaintances, and most importantly, gained new appreciation and perspectives from the world of western institutions and museums. I whole-heartedly encourage any Native American artist to visit the old works of art; to pay a visit and homage to our relatives in these "storage containers." Our relations do not want to be forgotten!

I met various “keepers,” assistant curators and anthropologists along this 3-week journey who assisted in my research. They all seemed to take their work very seriously, enjoy what they do, and were very friendly and accommodating. (If any of you are in these cities, give these folks a call and set up a visitation time!) I thank the following who were very patient with me and were my escorts to visit my “relatives of long ago”: Tom Evans at the NMAI Cultural Resource Center in Suitland, Maryland; Felicia Pickering at the National Museum of Natural History Support Center in Suitland; Bill Wierzbowski at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology; Susan Kennedy Zeller at the Brooklyn Art Museum; Mary Lou Murillo at the Museum of Natural History in New York City; Karen Kramer at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts; and Susan Haskell at the Peabody Museum Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

*For a schedule of the Public Presentations of the NWC Regalia Research, click here to “Presentations and Demonstrations" on this website or if you happen to be in or near one of the towns listed, please join us.

Some of the information and images gathered during this research may be included in the “Dance Regalia Documentary Project.” Completion of this documentary is projected to be in 2009. Check out the additional video footage of interviews scheduled to be posted by February 1, 2007, and read more about the Dance Regalia Documentary Project at our non-profit organization, Artstream Cultural Resources at: www.artstream.net

Clarissa Hudson
December 2006