Yéił Koowú - Ravenstail

Yéił Koowú, Ceremonial Ravenstail Weaving, also known as Geometric NorthWest Coastal Weaving, is the practice done by Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Haida peoples of the NorthWest Coast, whose territory spans from the coast of Alaska, inland into Canada in the Yukon and B.C, all they way south to Colorado. 

Yéił Koowú, Ravenstail Weaving, are coastal peoples historical documentation, and have been heavily sought after by collectors across the globe, with the largest intact collection currently known of in Russia, with 7 full sized robes in their public collections. Traditional Ceremonial Weaving is held in the highest regard, are considered sacred living beings, and whole family lines are tasked with their caretaking, as they live for hundreds of years. 

Yéił Koowú, Ravenstail Weaving is considered the most complex weaving practice known to man, due to the fact that the warp hanging from the loom is non-warp weighted, meaning there is no tension on the ends of the warp as they hang from the loom. There is no shuttle, brush, beater, combs or knots used in the creation of our traditional textiles. Every single stitch is placed by hand, at the time of weaving, and the tension comes from the weaver themselves as they weave. 

It begins with harvesting the fiber, which used to be Janwu, mountain goat. Mountain goats shed their undercoat or "cashmere" every spring, and historically they were revered by the peoples of this territory as sacred, as they were the land animal that could get closest to Creator on the highest land on the peaks of mountains. The herds had families that tracked their migration, and they would tent diamond willow over their walking paths to gather and hold the undercoat as it shed, and would collect it that way so that no animals were harmed. Today, many weavers use Merino wool as it is much more reliable and accessible, although there are some weavers still using fully traditional materials and skills to this day. 

The spring shed was collected and spun on the thigh to create the warp that hangs from the loom and is the base for the weaving. One full size ceremonial robe can take up to 7 full mountain goat hides to create. A full sized ceremonial robe can take up to 1000 yards of warp just to begin the weaving.

The traditional knowledge of weaving Yéił Koowú, Ravenstail, completely fell asleep during colonization as the practice was outlawed until 1976. It was revitalized by a textile enthusiast Cheryl Samuel in the 1980’s, and has passed the teachings that kept the traditional and ceremonial practice of creating our ancestors in this way alive. Now, due to the many efforts of the masters, there are over 30 Weavers that carry this practice today. 

The child-sized Yéił Koowú Ravenstail Robe (shown above) that was woven as a collective of apprenticeships under Wooshkindein Da.áat, Lily Hope,  in 2024 was completed with the intention of passing on the teachings in a good way. Permission for this story was received after attending A Tłéin Atlin’s Taku River Tlingit First Nation’s (TRTFN) very first Haa Ḵusteeyi 2023. i eedáx̱ sh tóog̱ aa x̱at ditee. I am grateful to you!  Kunáx̱ gunałchéesh. Thank you so very much! TRTFN hosted myself as a traditional weaver during the 2023  Haa Ḵusteeyi Celebration where the Yeił Koowú Ravenstail Child Size robe’s design and story was opened up to the community’s feedback and was able to consult Matriarchs, Chiefs, Elders, and Knowledge Holders with the support from Louise Gordon for cultural guidance.

They collectively selected to traditionally document the "Cannon" story offered by John & Vernon Williams about land claims and hereditary land rights, held by the Wolf Yan Yeidi Clan with permission granted by Clan Matriarch Alision Carlick. 

Every section of the collection holds meaning, from the materials used to the finishing work. Gunałchéesh, thank you, for bearing witness!