Teri Rofkar dancing in the first robe of the Tlingit Superman project, photographed by Tom Pich in 2009.

One of the most influential Ravenstail weavers was Teri Rofkar, pictured right. Beginning as a Raven clan basket weaver taught by her grandmother, she began to experiment with robe-weaving and incorporating her foraging knowledge from basket making. The Tlingit Superman series is probably her most well known, with 8 robes each more different than the next (one was even made of kevlar). The one pictured here is the first of the series, being woven entirely of shed mountain goat wool, and carries both a DNA motif for the unique species of goat on Baranhof island and a small red patch to denote a basket of berries she was brought during its creation. I think these small details really serve to show how these robes are physical examples of communal and personal knowledge being passed down, and they fascinate me to no end. She talks about realizing the “pure science embedded in Tlingit art”, which harkens back to how this garment involves a tremendous amount of innovation and ancestral knowledge coalescing. 

Evelyn Vanderhoop her handmade Ravenstail robe (Twined wool, sea otter fur, cedar bark fiber, shell, copper threads)

The picture to the left is of Evelyn Vanderhoop, who is a Haida weaver, wearing the robe she created for the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. She also danced in the robe during the museum gift ceremony, with her daughter accompanying on drums and vocals. Vanderhoop is an example of the matrilines of weavers being brought back, as she is the daughter of Delores Churchill, an incredibly masterful and influential weaver. She also learned basket weaving from her grandmother and stresses the many cultural functions of the robes as well as the many roles of their creators. This wonderful short documentary by the Stonington Gallery shows Vanderhoops journey in creating the MFA robe, and delves into her history as a multi-generational weaver.