Leatherwork
James Johnson, Tlingit, Eagle Killerwhale clan, “Hummingbird Drum”, n.d.
This drum with the crest of the Hummingbird clan, displayed upon deer hide, is a pivotal object used within Tlingit dance. Johnson’s choice to construct a drum indicates the significance of such an object to the Tlingit people that carries through generations, emanating ancestral practice and heritage. This emphasizes the creation and subsequent use performance items is not lost, just as Native culture is not lost either.
Alison Bremner, Tlingit, “Becoming”, 2018.
This beautiful dance apron made of metallic leather, specifically sheepskin, visualizes the blending of tradition with contemporary mediums. Bremner herself stresses in her work that Tlingit people, culture, and art are not stagnant, as some may otherwise impose that it is. Adaptability to the times and the maintenance of customs are able to be achieved simultaneously, as so beautifully reflected in this piece.