The inspiration to incorporate a unique element into traditional Chilkat weavings came to Anna Brown Ehlers through her daughter, in the form of a dream.

"My oldest daughter had a dream that I had made a Chilkat weaving and I put gold into it, and it looked like pre-Columbian art," Ehlers said. "So I saved money and used my PFD to buy gold wire and started working with it."

Ehlers had been weaving for about 15 years prior to her daughter's dream, having worked with master weaver Jennie Thlanaut at the end of her life, and since then Ehlers has made gold thread the trademark of her work. She incorporates the gold into the circles or ovoids, while remaining true to Tlingit traditions in terms of the weaving's design and technique.

Her Chilkat blankets, tunics, vests, bags and wall hangings are prized both for their traditional beauty and their uniqueness.

"I love the way (the gold) looks in the sun," Ehlers said. "It just gleams and you can see it from a mile away."

Ehlers recently won a Rasmuson grant of $12,000, and said that she hopes to explore different types of metals and metalsmithing techniques. Her brother, Native carver Nathan Jackson, won this year's Distinguished Artist award from the Rasmuson Foundation.

Ehlers said she plans to work with Native multidisciplinary artists RIchard Beasely and Nick Galanin, both known for their jewelry in addition to other art forms.

"What I do is so static, you have to follow the traditions of the colors, there are certain rules, and after working in that for so long I just want to mix it up a little and learn some other techniques," she said.

Ehlers has been honored for her work in the past, most notably with a United States Artist award in 2006, the first year it was bestowed. Her first award was a grant from the state of Alaska in 1983, which allowed her to devote the full focus of her time to learning the art form. She also has been honored with three awards from the First People's Fund, based in Rapid City, S.D. Her work is shown in museums across the country, including the Alaska State Museum and Juneau-Douglas City Museum.

One of Ehlers most intensive projects was a killer whale blanket woven for her father, Austin Brown, after his death in 2005. He had mentioned to Ehlers that he wanted a blanket cut up for him after he died, referring to the Tlingit tradition of cutting a weaving into pieces and distributing them to honored quests. The tradition of cutting the blankets began, Ehlers said, after the blankets were consistently stolen from Tlingit graves by collectors.

Soon after Brown died, Ehlers decided to carry out her father's wish. Throughout 2006 she worked on the blanket, enlisting the help of her husband, Bill, and son, Billy, in gathering the cedar bark that would be spun with the wool, and then spinning the wool with her daughters, Marie and Alexis. The project took more than 5,000 hours, and when finished included 17 panels and measured seven and a half by six feet - huge by traditional standards.

When she was almost finished, Ehlers sought permission to present the blanket at a ceremony honoring her father from John Katzeek, current caretaker of Killer Whale house in Klukwan, and it was granted. She presented the blanket during an emotional ceremony and afterward cut it up and distribute the pieces. Though some were amazed that she could cut up something so beautiful that had taken her so long to make, Ehlers said it brought her nothing but joy.

"It was the best thing because it was just what my dad wanted," she said. "So his dream came true and mine at the same time."

Ehlers said she teaches weaving to students, both men and women, and still loves what she does.

"I'm addicted," she said. "Its a blast - I love it."