Award-winning weaver gives Chilkat weaving demonstration at museum
March 29, 2007
Contact: Janet Asaro - 
WHO: Anna Brown Ehlers, Chilkat blanket weaver
WHAT: Chilkat blanket weaving demonstration
WHERE: Anchorage Museum atrium
WHEN: Saturday, April 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. Anna Brown Ehlers is considered the most accomplished Chilkat weaver of her generation. The recipient of numerous awards and recognition, she has traveled extensively both regionally and nationally giving talks and demonstrations of her work. Ehlers will answer questions and give a demonstration of traditional Chilkat weaving on her loom in the museum's atrium.
A Tlingit Indian of the Raven moiety,
Gaanaxteidí (Woodworm) clan, Ehlers' ancestral village is in the heart of the valley that the
Jilkáat Kwáan (Chilkat) Tlingit call their home. She currently lives in Juneau, Alaska, and has been weaving in the style of her ancestors for her entire adult life.
Chilkat is a distinctive style of Northwest Coast weaving and is characterized by totemic designs and the use of natural dyes to create distinctive yellow, blue-green and black combinations. Chilkat robes are traditionally made with handspun cedar warp and mountain goat wool and are traditionally worn as a symbol of power. Chilkat is an area of Southeast Alaska where this kind of weaving was still practiced during the time traders frequented the coast.
For More information call 343-6187. This program is made possible by the Alaska Native Heritage Center.