The bold patterns and inventive designs of Ainu ceremonial robes are unlike anything else—and yet, they call to mind a similarly distinctive power in the textile art of Native Americans half a hemisphere away in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and in Canada. Made exclusively by women, as were the Chilkat and Ravenstail robes of their North American counterparts, these garments represent a way of life that had all but disappeared by the end of the 19th century.
Parallel Worlds features examples of different types of Ainu ceremonial robes including the subdued Attush (elm bast fiber) bark-cloth robes to the cotton Kaparamip and Ruunpe. Made by present-day artists, the garments on view in the exhibition are intricately appliquéd and embroidered with elaborate cotton and silk embellishments.
Attush ceremonial robes are woven from bast fibers painstakingly split from the inner bark of the elm tree. These kimono-like robes were appliquéd with cotton and/or silk obtained in trade with China and the Japanese island of Honshu.
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Sanae Ogawa, Ahrush Ceremonial Robe
elm bast, velveteen, cotton, silk thread
Kaparamip robes are embellished with large areas of white cloth appliquéd in inventive cutout patterns that are pieced together and then elaborately embroidered to disguise the patching. Some Kaparamip robes are designed in whorl patterns called morew, which are thought to have protective powers for the wearer and are also found in ancient Ainu carvings.
Satomi Kato, Kaparamip Ceremonial Robe
cotton with silk
Ruunpe robes were the most colorful of traditional Ainu garments. Many have square-edged patterns formed with red silk, calico or muslin sewn in straight bands at right angles. Elaborate contrasting embroidery stitched on narrow pieces of cloth is also characteristic of this type of robe.
Machiko Kato, Ruunpe Ceremonial Robe
cotton with mousseline de laine
The robes in the exhibition are the work of today's most prominent Ainu textile artists, Sanae Ogawa, her sister Machiko Kato, along with Satomi Kato and Junko Ogawa, all members of the cooperative Ainu folk craft organization Tezukuri Utara. These artists seek to bring back some of the beauty and power of traditional Ainu culture through their work in researching and recreating authentic Ainu ceremonial robes, such as the ones on exhibition at the Garden.
Parallel Worlds is generously sponsored by the Spirit Mountain Community Fund, the James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation, the Jack & Lynne Hoffman Donor Advised Fund, The Collins Foundation, The Japan Foundation, and Gerding/Edlen Development.
