A button blanket is wool blanket embellished with mother-of-pearl buttons, created by Northwest Coastal tribes, that is worn for ceremonial purposes. The blankets are used as capes and gifts at ceremonial dances and potlatches, and not used for sleeping.[1]
The blankets usually have a red border on the upper and lateral edges. A central crest figure is created from the buttons and red flannel appliqué. Button blankets are worn over the shoulders and the crest design hangs on the back of the wearer.[2]
"Ceremonial robes and their associated regalia are generationally significant for being the insignias of family, clan histories, duties, rights, and privileges. have been among the most spectacular creations of the Indian people of the Northwest Coast of North America. For generations, these robes have served as insignia of family and clan histories, duties, rights, and privileges. They serve as statements of Indigenous identity especially in contemporary Canadian society.[3]
The blankets were originally acquired from the Hudson's Bay Company traders during the mid-19th century.[4] The trade blankets were typically dark blue duffel and decorated with buttons made from abalone or dentalium shells.[5] The central crest typically portrayed a symbol of the wearer's family heritage.[6]
Among the people who make button blankets, the blankets are not hung from walls except at funerals or near the graves of chiefs.[2]
Haida artist Florence Davidson (1896–1993) was known for her button blankets.
In 2015, law student Christina Gray of the Lax Kw'alaams Tsimshian nation formally obtained the right to wear a button blanket and cedar hat with her barrister's robes during the ceremony in which she was called to the bar in Ontario. She cited the use of the button blanket as a symbol of her nation's legal traditions.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "The Tsimshian". Archived from the original on 2007-05-30. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
- 1 2 Wade, 114
- ↑ Jensen, Doreen and Polly Sargent. Robes of Power: Totem Poles on Cloth. University of British Columbia Press. Vancouver. 1986. ISBN 0-7748-0264-2
- ↑ "Windspeaker profiles of outstanding Aboriginal people". Archived from the original on 2007-10-06. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
- ↑ Civilization.ca - Treasures Gallery - Button blankets
- ↑ "Civilization.ca - Grand Hall - Haida house (interior)". Archived from the original on 2005-11-27. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
- ↑ Chiose, Simona (June 21, 2015). "Law student plans to wrap herself in First Nations heritage at graduation". The Globe and Mail.
Further reading
edit- Jensen, Doreen and Polly Sargent. Robes of Power: Totem Poles on Cloth. University of British Columbia Press. Vancouver. 1986. ISBN 0-7748-0264-2
- Wade, Edwin L. The Arts of the North American Indian: Native Traditions in Evolution. Manchester, VT: Hudson Hills, 1986. ISBN 978-0-933920-55-2.