The Tlingit ceremonial garment called a Naaxein or Chilkat robe was born from the hands of a Tlingit weaver around the year 1900. The weaving is exquisitely complex and beautiful, and very few examples of this technique remain. But its exile from Tlingit culture in the intervening century wrought heavily on its appearance. Now, the robe is almost too fragile to pick up.

“Every time it’s flipped and moved, little pieces of it come off, because it’s in a pliable, fragile state,” explains museum curator Angie Demma.

Worst of all, the robe hasn’t been worn, danced in, or loved by Alaska Native people in more than 120 years. Nor has it been able to pass on its knowledge of traditional weaving techniques. At least not until this past spring.

It is impossible to tell what Tlingit clan and house the robe belongs to, Laws told the students. The design is relatively common, and the weaver’s mark could be misleading, as students often used their teacher’s signature mark as an indication of lineage.

Following the welcome ceremony, LIDAR scanners were brought to the center to digitize the robe. The resulting 3D image has such high definition that the robe can be zoomed in on and turned over and around, allowing examination in minute detail. So while the actual elder robe now lies comfortably in a protected case, new generations of Chilkat weavers can learn from it in digital form.

The robe scanning was just one part of a multiday event in which other things, such as Iñupiaq gloves, were scanned and digitized in partnership with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program. Drones were also used to scan traditional Alaska Native houses on the museum grounds. Young Alaska Native high school students from various tribes in the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program attended as part of a visiting professionals program sponsored by the scanning company, which connects technology professionals with the classroom.

Other tribes and Native organizations also use laser scanning and digital imagery to enhance preservation of tribal artifacts and provide tools for invigorating the study of tribal culture. The Virtual Museum of Native American Basketry has more than 100 3D virtual images of Native American baskets anyone can “virtually” pick up, turn over, and otherwise examine online.

Read the full article about virtual imagery by Frank Hopper at YES! Magazine.