Lily Hope and her family are continuing her mother鈥檚 work for an important cause.
The daughter of late acclaimed Chilkat and Ravenstail weaver Clarissa Rizal, Hope is an award-winning Tlingit weaver and weaving teacher who is now leading a new project called the Giving Strength Robe.
Dozens of Chilkat and Ravenstail weavers from all over North America will be weaving 5-inch-by-5-inch squares to create one traditional indigenous robe, a blanket-like garment worn over the shoulders. Once completed, the robe will be given to Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies (AWARE), Juneau鈥檚 gender-inclusive shelter for survivors of gender-based violence.
鈥淚 think (my mother) would say, 鈥楧oesn鈥檛 this speak to the generosity of spirit of the weaving community and the community as a whole?鈥欌�� Hope said in a phone interview. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all giving our time to make collaborative art with a purpose.鈥�
The project is the first effort by Spirit Uprising, a new non-profit pursuing 501(c)(3) status that Hope and her family started to perpetuate the ancient art of weaving.
Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving are complex art forms traditionally practiced by Northwest Coast Alaska Native peoples, and make use of hand-twined textiles.
Hope said she got the idea for this robe after she saw a Facebook post in a Ravenstail and Chilkat Weaving Facebook group about work dedicated to survivors of domestic violence. The purpose of the robe is to draw attention to the issue of domestic violence in Alaska, and hopefully inspire positive feelings in survivors.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all touched by it,鈥� Hope said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in our villages and communities.鈥�
She added, 鈥淲e want to be bringing healing to those who may put this (robe) on their shoulders.鈥�
Hope enlisted the help of her sister Ursala Hudson and aunt Deanna Lampe to get the project going, and put the call out to artists. The response was great, she said. More than 60 weavers from all over Alaska (including artists in Juneau, Anchorage, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Klawock, Sitka, Yakutat, Kake) committed to participating. Responses came in from other states, provinces and territories, too. Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, New Mexico, British Columbia and Yukon will also be weaving squares.
Hope and her family sent out kits to the weavers that included materials, warp and west spun from merino wool. The effort was funded through contributions from weavers.
鈥淓verybody donated or bought a kit for $50,鈥� Lampe said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to crowdfund some kind of a booklet that could be published with every weaver鈥檚 photograph and a short biography.鈥�
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So far about 16 squares have arrived in Juneau and several more are on their way to the capital city. All the squares will be in a teal, purple and white colour palette.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been cool to see them come in,鈥� Hope said.
Although this is the first project for their budding non-profit Spirit Uprising, it鈥檚 not the first time Hope and her family have done a collaborative weaving project. Hope鈥檚 mother Rizal previously headed Weavers Across the Waters Community Robe project.
About 40 weavers contributed to that project, which was first used in a ceremony in August 2016 before Rizal鈥檚 passing in December of that year. Hope led the completion of a bottom row and border for that robe, and it was finished in 2017.
Hope, Hudson and Lampe were all involved in that project that was
鈥淚 called my sister and said, 鈥業sn鈥檛 it about time we did another collaborative robe?鈥� Hope said, adding, 鈥淲e were all like, 鈥業 guess we鈥檙e going to do this again.鈥欌��
She said her mother likely would have thought they were crazy for attempting such a stressful, involved undertaking again.
鈥淚 think that she would say, 鈥楧idn鈥檛 you learn how much work that was last time? Ha ha ha,鈥� Hope said enunciating each laugh.
Weavers helping with the Giving Strength Robe were instructed by Hope to approach their work with thoughts of resilience, healing and compassion for survivors of domestic violence, rather than righteous anger directed at perpetrators of violence.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to come to weaving with grace, strength and positive thoughts,鈥� Hope said. 鈥淲hen we are in a state of rage or coming at it with more anger than peace, we don鈥檛 weave.鈥�
Saralyn Tabachnick, Executive Director for AWARE, said she is moved by the project and its intentions.
鈥淎WARE is deeply touched about this project, and honoured to be the recipient of such generous, thoughtful and caring weavers,鈥� Tabachnick said. 鈥淲e are super grateful and fortunate to have Lily Hope in our community, building community and providing leadership. The depth and breadth of this project and the process is inspiring.鈥�
Lampe said she didn鈥檛 hesitate when her niece asked if she wanted to participate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 for a good cause,鈥� Lampe said. 鈥淲e all know the stats of domestic violence. Plus, we all know somebody who knows somebody.鈥�
An average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the U.S., according to statistics compiled by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Nearly 30 per cent of women and 10 per cent of men have experienced one of those forms of domestic violence.
The robe is also meant to be a companion piece of sorts for Tlingit master carver Wayne Price鈥檚 healing totem pole for AWARE, which is similarly intended to bring awareness to gender-based violence and healing to its survivors.
The pole is expected to be raised this spring, but the robe will be coming later this year.
鈥淲e wanted to have it done at the same time, but it鈥檚 just not realistic,鈥� Hope said.
When the Giving Strength Robe is completed, Hope said there will be a reception and first dance for the garment, 鈥渟o it can come alive and have the spirit of dance put into it.鈥�
Ben Hohenstatt, The Associated Press
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