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Hopi Native North American

Women’s wearing blanket (manta), ca. 1870

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Hopi

Title

Women’s wearing blanket (manta)

Year

ca. 1870

Medium

Wool; twill

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • wool

Techniques

  • twill weave

Dimensions

Length: 96.5 cm (38 inches)

Type

  • Textiles

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Jesse H. Metcalf

Object Number

13.1466

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Blankets and Baskets

July 2 - October 10, 2004

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

Form, Pattern, and Function

December 4, 1992 - January 24, 1993

One of six types of women's manta, this white manta with red and blue stripes was often called a "maiden's shawl." It was given to a Hopi girl between the ages of 8 and 12 after her Kachina ceremony, a coming of age ritual for all Hopi children, and was most often made by her grandfather. It was also numbered among a bride's wedding garments although it was not worn during the marriage but later for dress and ceremonial occassions.

This manta which wraps around the shoulders and ties in the front (two green ties remain at the upper edge) is an descendant of the earlier mantas of striped cotton twill, fragments of cloth were excavated from prehistoric Pueblo sites. Cotton was the traditional fiber used by the Pueblo Indians until the Spanish introduced sheep and wool in the sixteenth century. Until 1850 "maiden shawls" were woven entirely of wool at which time white cotton replaced the white wool.

The Pueblo Indians had developed a sophisticated weaving culture before the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century. This early knowledge of weaving lead to clothing styles based on the rectangular or square shape of the textile as it was taken off the loom. These styles of mantas, breechcloths, and shirts did away with the necessity to cut into the textiles which took much time and skill to produce.

A World of Costume and Textiles

September 22 - November 12, 1989

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Women’s wearing blanket (manta) with the accession number of 13.1466. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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