TRANSITIONAL

Sigismund Bacstrom, Tchua a Chief of Queen Charlotte’s Island in Lat. 52, 12N, 1793
Courtesy of Paul Mellon Collection, Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

At the start of the 19th century, a new style of weaving was becoming popular among the tribes, and eventually replaced raven’s tail weaving. A distinct break from the geometric Raven’s Tail tradition, the new process, Chilkat weaving, allowed curvilinear formline design to flow across the design field. Some transitional robes combined elements of both styles—a wide yellow border and face-like designs with round eyes were used alongside dazzling geometrics.