Chilkat

Chilkat may refer to several related but distinct topics, including an Indigenous people, a geographic region in Alaska, a traditional textile, and a software company’s product line. The most widely recognized uses are the Chilkat people and the associated weaving tradition, as well as the Chilkat River area in southeastern Alaska. The name is also used by Chilkat Software, Inc., for a set of cross‑language programming libraries.

The Chilkat are a Tlingit-speaking Indigenous group of the Pacific Northwest, historically inhabiting the Chilkat Valley along the Chilkat River in Alaska. They are part of the broader Tlingit ethnolinguistic family and have been prominent in regional trade networks and cultural exchange. A central element of Chilkat culture is weaving, especially the Chilkat blanket or robe, a large ceremonial textile made from wool and often mountain goat hair, featuring complex patterns that reflect clan histories and symbolic motifs.

Geographically, the term Chilkat designates the Chilkat River and the surrounding valley in Alaska’s Southeast region. Key local centers include the historic village of Klukwan and the nearby Chilkoot Inlet, with the area home to protected areas such as the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. The region is noted for its natural beauty and its ongoing cultural legacies linked to the Chilkat people and their weaving tradition.

Chilkat Software, Inc. offers a suite of cross‑language software libraries branded as Chilkat. These libraries provide components for email, file transfer, HTTP, encryption, compression, and handling data formats like JSON and XML, and are used in various programming languages including C, C#, Java, Python, and PHP.