down or the spun hair of the black bear. The Haida and Nootka
women used cedar bark only; but the Tsimsyan and Kwakiutl had
access to the wool of mountain sheep and the hair of mountain
goats which they used as weft on a warp of spun cedar fibre; and
the Coast Salish women utilized the hair of little white dogs
reared for the purpose. Salish blankets were often coarsely
woven and the material undyed; others show variations of the
"arrow" or other geometrical designs executed in black, yellow,
red and orange, or exhibit still greater skill in the employ-
ment of quite elaborate colour combinations carried out in a
wider range of colours. The Salish head bands and tump lines
are also attractive in their variations on the "triangle,"
"Zig-zag" and other simple geometrical patterns executed in
finer weaves than those on their blankets. In some specimens

of headbands the warp is of twisted vegetable fibre, the ends
being prolonged beyond the cross weft of coloured wool for at-
tachment to the basket or other burden to be carried. All blan-
kets were completed with long fringes. Great skill was also
shown by the Lower Thompson and Lillooet women in the long sashes
of finely woven and dyed Indian hemp thread worn by their men-
folk.

Brief notes on the Chilcat blankets, shirts, leggings and
aprons must not be omitted. This word "Chilcat" is actually
meaningless to natives except in the commercial sense; it was
coined in early days by white traders. The origin of this form
of skilled weaving is still wcertain though increasingly
credited to the Tsimsyan. Many traditions exist as to the
mythological sources of these varied designs, so elaborate and
intricate that even experts hesitate to identify the signifi-
cance of their details. (Suggestive of this intricacy an old
tale represents the design as able to speak and complaining of
the length of time it is kept waiting for completion!) These
may possibly have possessed totemic significance, such curious
abbreviations having been described as "a form of shorthand"
which thus combines symbolism with realism.

It is said the collection of the necessary materials for
one blanket and the subsequent weaving took fully a year and
offers the rare example of cooperation in any form of British
Columbia Indian art between married couples. The husband first
drew on a "pattern board" one-half of the complicated design he
desired. He was responsible for securing the three mountain
goats needed for the amount of wool required to cover the warp
of yellow cedar fibre or whale sinew and to provide the woof and
long fringes. He also made the primitive loom. The wife pre-
pared the skins, spun the wool and dyed it to the accepted tints
of pale yellow, pale blue and black. The details throughout
tested her accuracy and skill to the utmost for the fine twill
weave called for one hundred threads to the inch.

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