Hopi Native North American

Sometimes called a “maiden shawl” by collectors, this style of blanket has a ceremonial as well as a practical role. It was worn by Hopi women in the Basket Dance and by men playing female roles in kachina ceremonies and was also used for these purposes at the Rio Grande pueblos. It is said to be the garment worn by Kachina Maiden, a religious figure depicted on two baskets in the adjacent case. Kachinas are deified ancestral spirits among the Pueblo. The donor, Mrs. Jesse H. Metcalf, was the mother of Eliza Metcalf Radeke: both were founders of the Rhode Island School of Design.
Gift of Mrs. Jesse H. Metcalf 13.1466