Whaler's hat

The maker of this hat, Ellen Curley, was a Nuu-chah-nulth weaver from Clayoquot, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Little is known about Curley, but during her lifetime she received numerous commissions for her baskets and hats from both museums and private collectors. While wintering at Fort Clatsop (Oregon) during the winter of 1805–06, Lewis and Clark traded a fishhook for a hat that was similar to this one. Here, the woven designs alternate between two sets of whales and whaling boats.