Frog Speaks

Antique Pendleton robe, wool & cotton fabrics, ribbons, abalone buttons
5 ft x 4.5 ft
Private Collection, Juneau, Alaska
© copyright 2002 by Clarissa Hudson
Contact Clarissa for permission to use images or text for educational purposes only

The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) commissioned me to design and create a button robe for Ethel Lund; this was truly an honor. After almost 30 years of service, Ethel Lund was retiring as President of SEARHC. Ethel was one of the founders to help create SEARHC. Ethel is a tribal member of the "Kiksadi" Frog Clan and is a gracious leader of the Tlingit.

The design shows Frog, Ethyl's clan symbol, speaking to us about the Land, symbolized by the Tree of Life and the Water of Life streaming from its mouth. The water flows down along each side of Frog; the tree trunk sprouts upward and branches outward.   Frog is one of the only animals equally at home on land and in the water, and because of its sensitivity to the environment, frog is one of the first to "speak" about the balance or imbalance in nature.

I hand-appliqued the wool Frog design onto an antique Pendleton blanket I had purchased many years before with hopes of using it one day for a special robe.  This was the perfect opportunity to use it. Along the border is a Seminole Native patchwork bordered with mother-of-pearl buttons and satin ribbon, imitating the traditional ribbon shirts of the Navajo.

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