SHI selects weaver for historic mountain goat Chilkat robe project

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has selected renowned Chilkat weaver Sydney Akagi to lead the weaving of a historic Chilkat robe made entirely of mountain goat wool for the first time in more than 150 years.

The decline in the use of mountain goat wool in weaving Chilkat robes can be attributed to multiple factors. With the arrival of Americans in late 1800s, a federal policy of assimilation and suppression of traditional cultural practices were implemented by the military and missionaries. This together with the introduced diseases and epidemics left the ravaged communities with few hunters who could pursue the arduous harvest of mountain goats. The introduction of commercial wools further contributed to the decline in the use of mountain goat wool.

Mountain goats for the project have already been harvested, and apprentices will soon begin processing the wool under the guidance of fiber processing lead mentor Laine Rinehart.

“This undertaking marks a significant cultural milestone, as it revives the weaving of a full Chilkat robe made entirely from mountain goat wool for the first time in more than a century and a half,” Akagi wrote in her proposal. “My approach to this project will maintain cultural accuracy and artistic integrity, while also providing apprentices with the depth of processing and weaving knowledge that will carry them through in their weaving journey.”

Akagi, who is Tlingit, Kiks.ádi Raven/Frog from the Steel House in Sitka, began weaving Ravenstail style in 2018 and committed herself fully to Chilkat weaving in January 2020. Her weaving practice is rooted in the teachings of her mentor Lily Hope, placing her within the woven lineage carried forward by Clarissa Rizal, Jennie Thlunat and Clara Benson.

In 2025, ArtNews named Akagi among “15 Female Indigenous Artists to Follow,” and later that year included her in their list of “25 Indigenous Artists to Know.” Her work has been supported by the Rasmuson Foundation, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation and other institutions committed to sustaining Indigenous arts. Her pieces have entered significant private and public collections, including the Gochman Collection in New York City.

Rinehart, who will serve as fiber processing lead mentor, brings 13 years of experience in weaving Ravenstail and 11 years in Chilkat weaving. Rinehart has worked on a total of 12 hides, utilizing techniques from traditional methods of fermenting hides to modern processing, and has spun an estimated 800 to 1,000 yards of mountain goat wool.

“My mountain goat experience began in relative tandem with my weaving experience,” Rinehart wrote. “Throughout my time as a weaver I have developed an appreciation for the use of our traditional materials while also understanding the importance of being able to adapt and utilize the materials that we have on hand to weave.”

The project will include four apprentices who will learn fiber preparation, spinning, dyeing, warping and weaving fundamentals. While Akagi weaves the full-size robe, apprentices will complete their own smaller regalia items, such as leggings, headbands and aprons under her guidance.

The robe will be danced for the first time at Celebration 2028, SHI’s biennial dance-and-culture festival. The completed robe will be part of SHI’s permanent collection in Juneau, where it may be studied by artists and danced by future generations.

Weavers who participate in the project will be eligible for six credits from the University of Alaska Southeast.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a non-profit tribal organization founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee, a Southeast Regional Language Committee and a newly formed Education Committee.

CONTACT: Kathy Dye, Deputy Director of Publications and Communications, Kathy.Dye@Sealaska.com

Caption: Master weaver Sydney Akagi. Photo by Sydney Akagi, courtesy of SHI. Note: news outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher-res version, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com.