We all have our good clothes. In the past, our people had special clothing that they wore only for dances or for ceremonial purposes. The clothing worn for special occasions honoured our culture and ourselves as individuals.

For some, this meant that they wore clothing with fancy designs. You only had to see their clothes to understand that they took much care in making them by the high quality sewing and the fancy work on them. For the wealthy, good clothing meant well crafted robes, aprons, and other items bought from the Tlingit. Our people set great value on a Chilkat blanket woven from goat's wool, for example. The items bought from the Tlingit showed an appreciation for the quality and design, and also showed the wealth of the wearer.

A traditional Tahltan drum

Wealth was not important in itself, but was the sign of a good provider, and therefore that individual was a highly-valued member of the group. We realized that our survival depended on our own skills and the cooperation of all in our Family group. That means if a man in our Family was a good hunter, for example, he would have many hides and/or furs to show this.

But being a good hunter meant more than showing off hides and furs. It meant that if anyone needed help, more food, for example, he would have the ability to help them. He was taught that one of his responsibilities was to help others when they needed it. This also meant that if he ever needed help, they would be there to help him.

For ceremonial occasions, when we were able (that is, could afford it), we bought special clothing from the Tlingit. As mentioned, a Chilkat blanket woven with our Clan crest or similar West Coast design was a prized item. We also bought a kind of apron or skirt and a shirt or coat also woven from goat wool, also of Tlingit design.

Some cloaks or capes made by Tlingits were also used. We also bought short leggings with horizontal fringes, belts, necklaces and many kinds of head dresses from the Tlingit. One headdress of West Coast design was set with sea lion whiskers. It had a carved mask as a front piece and was fringed in the back with ermine skins. This type of headdress was used by our men.

As different trade goods became available from trading ships, different materials were used in ceremonial garb. Blue woolen blankets and cloaks bordered with red cloth and decorated with pearl buttons or with shells became favourites. Over the years, these blankets became the button blankets of today. It seems that the shells and buttons may be been simply designs, but now the buttons outline a design, usually of the West Coast Art tradition.

It has been suggested that we, Tahltans, do not have the right to use the West Coast designs such as that of the Tlingit. However, it has been our tradition to purchase works of art from the coastal people in recognition of the high quality of their artwork. Also, we believe that when our people intermarried with the Tlingit, this gave us the right to use the designs through marriage.

One item that is truly Tahltan in origin is our fur caps and fur headbands. These were sometimes made of leather and embroidered. For added decoration, sometimes our headbands had fringes of hide which hung down. These had feathers attached.

We also had different types of caps made of red cloth and other cloth which were decorated with feathers. Sometimes our caps were made of head skins of large animals with the ears and sometimes small horns left intact. Narrow headbands of twisted velvet off caribou antlers were used. Others were made of twisted fur and of twisted bird skin.

We made a headband of large grizzly claws, like a crown. No eagle or hawk feather bonnets like those of the plains or plateau natives were used. The only hat in any way similar was a headband with large or small feathers standing around the rim, again like a crown. This type of headband might be decorated with ermine skins and tufts of small feathers.

Some of our robes and cloaks of fur, blanket, etc. were decorated with animal teeth and claws. These were either sewn on in rows, or were hung from the edges, like pendants.

We used belts, shoulder straps or sashes, pouches, and knife cases as part of our daily costume. When these were part of our ceremonial garb, they were highly decorated.

Sometimes our belts were made of red cloth with colourful bead work, or embroidered with silks, or fancy quill work. Some were made of leather with fancy work. On some belts, long fringes were decorated with shells.

Shoulder straps or sashes were made of wide strips of red cloth which were heavily decorated with beads, silks, or quill work. These straps were worn over the shoulder, crossing in the center of the chest. Sometimes a belt was worn over the sashes, holding them in place. Teit believes that ceremonial shoulder straps were left over from the days when shot pouches and powder horns were carried. These were attached to straps which were worn over each shoulder as our Tahltan ones were.

We had a different sizes of pouches. These may have been used long, long ago to carry fire. Or they may have been pouches for carrying gun powder. They eventually became decorative, like they are today. Some of best handwork was done on these pouches; they were a way for women to show affection for their menfolk. The carrying straps for these were decorated in a similar fashion to the belts and sashes. Our knife cases were special pouches cut to fit each knife. They were also highly ornamented. In those days, our knives hung from long straps around the neck.

Other accessories included necklaces of cloth or breast pieces. These were embroidered or covered with rows of shells or bead or quills. Some had pendants hanging from them. Their shapes varied. Some were crescent shaped. Teit saw a similarity between these and some used by the Carrier natives.

Some embroidered collars were close fitting and had long fringes strung with shells and other decorations. Tassels of hide were common on ceremonial clothing and were often fastened to the end of tie strings. No tassels of dyed hair were used. Often tassels were decorated with wrappings of porcupine quills in different colours.

Our people adapted to survive. And, sometimes they adapted because they liked what they saw. So it was, and still is, in the way we decorate our clothing and what we wear for good.

As you look at ways native people decorate their clothing, you will see that we all have borrowed from each other. For example, you will see some fringes wrapped with porcupine quills. This is the type of decoration used by the Dene nations to the east, like the Kaska and Dogrib. Samples in museum or archive collections which show work such as the wrapped quill, might have been bought from the Kaska, or the design copied. Our Tahltan designs are a mixture of coast and inland natives. We live inland from the coast, so much of our design is like other inland peoples (Kaska, Carrier, etc.). But we have been influenced strongly by the natives from the coast.

In particular, today we often use West Coast Native designs, but now we make our own, rather than buying them from the Tlingit. You will often see West Coast design used in our Clan crests. Our people attend schools which teach West Coast designing, so these designs are being used more. We are understanding the different influences in our artwork and decorative work as we learn more about our culture and our heritage.

Our people used drums during gambling games, dances, and ceremonies. It was so much a part of celebrations, that it should be included in this section.

Our drums were made of hide stretched over a circular wooden frame. The hide was either tanned or not. To make a drum required 3 items: hide (tanned or not), a circular wooden frame, and thongs cut from the hide.

Drums are used for games, dances, and ceremonies

A circle of hide large enough to cover the wooden frame was cut from the hide. Slits were made along the edge of the circle of hide. A thong cut from the hide was threaded through the slits, then tightened. To finish the drum, the thong was threaded across the underside of the drum in at least four spots. When the thong was tightened and the hide smoothed over the frame, the thong was woven to form a handle. The drum was played by hitting with the hand or with a drumstick made of hide tied to a stick.

Our drums were decorated with red ochre in early years, and paints were used later on. The designs often were of our Clan symbols. Today, we are learning about our heritage by including lessons about drums and drum-making in our schools.