Sven Haakanson, Jr. Ph.D., Curator of Native American Anthropology at the Burke Museum, explores the amazing material possibilities of animal intestine in the tradition of northern coast cultures.
Process a Kodiak brown bear intestine and learn how this material, all too often thrown out, can become your favorite rain gear. On view in
the common S E N S E are garments from Pacific Northwest cultures that are made of intestines, or guts—as more commonly expressed—which behaved as the first Gortex to wick water away and keep bodies dry. This demonstration will show the first step in the process of making a gut skin jacket—the traditional rain coat.
Object Narratives is a multi-part series that introduces visitors to the historical and cultural contexts of objects included in
Ann Hamilton: the common S E N S E. Hear from different presenters at each session and explore the expanded narratives around the objects that have informed Hamilton’s exhibition from the collections of the Henry, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, and the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
