The Textile Society of America has announced Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa and all Coast Salish contributors to The Teachings of Mutton: A Coast Salish Woolly Dog (Harbour Publishing, 2025) as the recipients of the 2026 R.L. Shep Memorial Book Award for books published in 2025.
The Teachings of Mutton: A Coast Salish Woolly Dog
The publication has been recognised for its exceptional scholarship and groundbreaking research into the Coast Salish Woolly Dog, a breed traditionally raised for its fleece, which was spun and woven into textiles.
The Shep award is given annually to the publication judged to be the best book of the year in the field of global cultural heritage textile studies. Chosen unanimously by the award committee, the book was commended for its collaborative approach, bringing together Hammond-Kaarremaa, Coast Salish textile artists, Indigenous knowledge-keepers and scientific researchers. The committee also praised its exceptional balance of rigorous scholarship and accessible storytelling, qualities that embody the spirit of the R. L. Shep Award.
