Ceremonial Hat with Split Frog Design, Tlingit Basketry

Ceremonial Hat with Split Frog Design, c. 1980Tlingit BasketrySoutheast AlaskaSpruce root, pigment, ermine tail8” high x 16.25” wide x 16.25” deep This hand woven ceremonial hat represents the crest of Frog, an emblem of the Kiks-adi clan, a subdivision of the Tlhigh-naedi moiety of the Tlingit people. A hat such as this would have been worn by a high ranking member of the community, as signified by the addition of the ermine tail embellishment. Frog symbolizes wealth and abundance, and when a Frog is portrayed in art with his tongue touching another creature, it represents the sharing of knowledge and power.