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The records in this sub-series relate to Willy White’s 2002 exhibition on Chilkat and Raven’s Tail weaving, My Ancestors Are Still Laughing. During his exhibition at the Museum of Anthropology, Willy White began weaving a gwishalaayt, or Chilkat robe. The weaving was later finished at his home in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. In 2004, a “taking off of the loom” ceremony and feast was held to celebrate the completion of the gwishalaayt. Though Elizabeth Johnson was the curator for this exhibition, Duffek worked closely with her, and the files relate to Duffek’s involvement with in the process. File contents relate to exhibition research and planning, draft exhibit texts, correspondences, transcripts of interview with the weavers, and recordings of the final ceremony.

Subseries consists of records relating to the exhibit “My Ancestors are Still Dancing” at MOA. As part of a “living” exhibition, Tsimshian weaver William White from Lax Kw’alaams was commissioned to publicly weave a child-size robe in Gallery 8. The exhibit displayed William White’s weavings, historical weavings from MOA’s collection, and historical and contemporary photographs of people wearing Chilkat regalia. The exhibit was installed in 2001 and ran through until September 28, 2002. Records include acquisition/artifact lists, artist biography, budget, correspondence, exhibit labels, exhibit proposals, exhibit panel layouts, exhibit resource binders, grant applications, internal forms (consent forms), installation diagrams, map, meeting agendas memoranda, notes, object records, photographs and slides, photocopies of photographs, professional guidelines, reports, schedules, recorded audio research interviews, transcripts of research interviews, travelling exhibit, and visitor comments.

This was a living exhibition in which the artist, a Tsimshian Weaver from Lax Kw’alaams, publicly weaved a child-size Chilkat robe, alongside a display of his own weavings, and some historical weavings in MOA’s collection, and historical and contemporary photographs of people weaving.