Tahltan tunic

Date:
unknown
Record:
RBCM 14832
Materials:
wool cotton, silk, glass beads, shell buttons

This garment is known as the Diving Raven tunic. It appears in a historical photograph taken at Telegraph Creek, worn by a man who has been identified by one of his descendants as Sincoots, a shaman. It is made of red wool stroud, cotton and silk. The floral motifs on the yoke and cuffs are created with glass beads from Europe; the Raven design on the front is outlined with shell buttons from China. Tahltan traditional territory in northwest BC was an important trading route between the coast and interior. This tunic shows that the Tahltan people were also situated in a much wider network of trade and connections. The tunic was collected at Telegraph Creek and later purchased by the Royal BC Museum in 1976.

This object selected by Dr Martha Black.