Help Return a Sacred Tlingit Clan Hat
Donation protected
On Wednesday, May 21, Sotheby's will auction off a sacred Tlingit clan hat of the Wrangell Kiks.ádi clan. The Shx'at Khwáan Kiks.ádi, their friends and relatives and the Tlingit nation urge you to stand with us to pledge donations which will help us fight for and win the auction so the hat can come back home where it belongs.
If we rescue this sacred object-- at.óow-- from its death in the capitalist system, the clans will breathe life back into it and it will be a victory for the Tlingit nation and for indigenous peoples around the world.
If the hat returns successfully, the clan will host a khu.éex', a ceremony for it. They will invite the donors and their clan opposites to this special gathering. Everyone will see the hat come to life. They will hear the voices of the ancestors once again.
Please consider donating to support this effort, and remember, if the fundraising efforts are unsuccessful, your pledge will immediately be refunded. Any amount will be greatly appreciated. Sotheby's estimates that the hat will sell for 300,000 to 500,000. However, if we stand together, we can accomplish anything.
The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska's (CCTHITA) Cultural Specialist Harold Jacobs kept track of this object since it was up for sale in the early 1990's and up to its current auction. The style of the hat reflects Aleut-style hats which are owned by the Kiks.ádi clan among the Tlingit. Noted Northwest Coast art scholar Steve Brown attributes the hat to the hands of Yeeka.aas, William Ukas, one of the most accomplished Northwest Coast carvers in history. Yeeka.aas was of the Naanya.aayí clan of Wrangell, and all of his carvings came from that locality. It is this research by experienced cultural leaders and scholars that attributes the hat to the Wrangell Kiks.ádi.
Join us in bringing our long-lost relatives, our ancestors, back home. Fight for indigenous rights. Bring the hat back home.
Gunalchéesh,
The Shx'at Khwáan Kiks.ádi and friends
Auction Site:
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/arts-of-the-american-west-n09149/lot.88.html
If we rescue this sacred object-- at.óow-- from its death in the capitalist system, the clans will breathe life back into it and it will be a victory for the Tlingit nation and for indigenous peoples around the world.
If the hat returns successfully, the clan will host a khu.éex', a ceremony for it. They will invite the donors and their clan opposites to this special gathering. Everyone will see the hat come to life. They will hear the voices of the ancestors once again.
Please consider donating to support this effort, and remember, if the fundraising efforts are unsuccessful, your pledge will immediately be refunded. Any amount will be greatly appreciated. Sotheby's estimates that the hat will sell for 300,000 to 500,000. However, if we stand together, we can accomplish anything.
The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska's (CCTHITA) Cultural Specialist Harold Jacobs kept track of this object since it was up for sale in the early 1990's and up to its current auction. The style of the hat reflects Aleut-style hats which are owned by the Kiks.ádi clan among the Tlingit. Noted Northwest Coast art scholar Steve Brown attributes the hat to the hands of Yeeka.aas, William Ukas, one of the most accomplished Northwest Coast carvers in history. Yeeka.aas was of the Naanya.aayí clan of Wrangell, and all of his carvings came from that locality. It is this research by experienced cultural leaders and scholars that attributes the hat to the Wrangell Kiks.ádi.
Join us in bringing our long-lost relatives, our ancestors, back home. Fight for indigenous rights. Bring the hat back home.
Gunalchéesh,
The Shx'at Khwáan Kiks.ádi and friends
Auction Site:
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/arts-of-the-american-west-n09149/lot.88.html
Organizer
Mike Aak'wtaatseen Hoyt
Organizer
Juneau, AK
