Coast Salish Weaving: Resilience on Display

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle is hosting "Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving." This exhibition, running until August 30, 2026, honors the enduring legacy of Coast Salish weaving. It displays both historical and contemporary woven artworks, such as blankets and garments. Fourteen new pieces, crafted from mountain goat hair painstakingly collected over ten years, are central to the display. The exhibition is a collaborative effort between the Coast Salish Wool Weaving Center and the museum, aiming to revive a practice historically suppressed by colonial forces.

Visitors can engage with the craft through interactive displays showcasing spinning tools and natural dyeing techniques using plants and fungi. The resurgence of Coast Salish weaving is led by contemporary Native weavers who are passing down ancestral knowledge. This exhibition challenges traditional definitions of American art by incorporating Indigenous voices and practices often relegated to "craft." It features items from the Burke's collection alongside thirty loans from across North America, some returning to their ancestral territories.

Notably, the exhibition includes the pelt of the last known woolly dog, on loan from the Smithsonian Institution. These dogs, prized for their soft fur used in weaving, became extinct due to colonial assimilation policies. The Coast Salish Wool Weaving Center comprises six dedicated weavers committed to preserving and promoting this sacred art form, inviting visitors to experience its joy and teachings.