MCI Project Summaries 2008 - Smithsonian Institution

MCI 5927.2 Salish Blanket Fiber Materials
MCI Staff: Caroline Solazzo, Mary W. Ballard, Ron H. Cunningham, Judy Watson, Greg
Henkes, Mel J. Wachowiak
This research sought to resolve questions as to source of protein fiber in blended yarn
used by the North West Coast Salish tribes in making blankets, a subject of active debate. The
research method involved comparison of provenienced dog and mountain goat hair fibers to
unknown fibers from provenienced Salish blankets, using a range of analytical techniques
including proteomics (MALDI-TOF, peptide sequence comparison). The results will be of
interest to North-American archaeologists and ethnologists first as the use or not of dog hair will
change or confirm theories about the Coast Salish and shed new light on Native American
weaving and archaeology in general. The second interest is for archaeological sciences:
proteomics is a recent discipline, being applied to archaeology for the past three years. Its
potential is just now beginning to be understood and textile identification can be a huge
application for archaeology and conservation. At the same time, it will enlarge the database of
provenienced animal fiber sources sequenced by the proteomics methodology. The animal hair
used to make a Salish “dog” blanket was found to be goat in at least one instance.
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