Weaving Strength in Women

Tlingit Weaving - Strength in Women

For centuries, Huna Tlingit women practiced and perfected the art of weaving. Using split spruce roots, they crafted baskets so tightly woven they could be used for cooking and carrying water. Intricate robes woven of mountain goat wool, spun with cedar bark for strength, were treasures that could take a year or more to complete. The inner bark of cedar was also used to make other utilitarian items. While these weaving practices languished for some time, a resurgence in weaving arts is bringing Tlingit women back to these traditional practices. Hoonah Indian Association, Huna Heritage Foundation, the National Park Service, Sealaska Heritage Institute, and Seventh Generation-Thriving Women’s Initiative have sponsored weaving workshops in recent years that have permitted skilled weavers to pass the tradition on to another generation of Tlingit women. Today, Huna women gather to weave together on winter weekends, sharing stories, food, and knowledge. Engaging in this ancestral practice is weaving strength in Huna Tlingit women.