МАЭ № 2520-16

Woven hat

Kodiak Eskimos

19th century

spruce root, paint, plant fiber thread

height 13 cm, diameter of the brim 44.5 cm, diameter of the crown 10.8 cm

Most likely depicted on this hat is the head of a beaver with its prominent front teeth in a half-opened mouth. One of the features used to distinguish among the woven hats of the Kodiak Alutiit, Chugach and Tlingit is the form of the cruciform pattern on the upper part of the crown. It is found in the shape of a “cross,” “stars,” “flower,” and “teeth.” The “cross” pattern is characteristic of Kodiak Alutiiq hats (No. 536—12, 539—1, 2520—16, --20), the “star” pattern of Chugach hats (No. 5795—22) and the “teeth” pattern of Tlingit hats (No 620—19, 2520—21) (The Tlingit 2007: 94, 99). The “star” pattern is found in Kodiak Alutiiq articles (No. 5795—23), as well as in those of the Chugach (No. 2520—19).

Ethnography of America