Mountain goat hair blanket

Mountain goat hair is precious and is often combined with other fibers when spun into wool for weaving ceremonial blankets like this one. These blankets are worn as symbols of a person’s status, and the designs belong to specific people or families. Mountain goat hair blankets, or pieces of them, were once given away when people were called to witness important events for ceremony. Today, it is more difficult for weavers to obtain this type of wool.

In 2018, fiber samples from this blanket were studied at the UVIC BioImaging facility. The yarn contained mountain goat and sheep’s wool, feather down, and unknown plant fibres – possibly alkali treated milkweed, cedar, cotton or stinging nettle.