Whaling Hat by Ellen Curley

Description
The is a whaler's hat (c.1900-1910) woven from spruce root, cedar bark, and surf grasses. It was made by Ellen Curley, a weaver from the Nuu-chah-nulth culture in 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. Click here to take a closer look at the motifs woven into the hat here.

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.