Artist:Tsimshian
Medium: Wood, abalone shell, ermine skins, sea lion (?) whiskers, flicker feathers, eagle down feathers, cord, felt, pigment
Geograhical Locations:
Dates:19th century
Dimensions: 14 1/4 x 7 1/2 x 9 1/4 in. (36.2 x 19.1 x 23.5 cm)
Collections:
Exhibitions:
Accession Number: 05.588.7413
Image: 05.588.7413_SL1.jpg,
Catalogue Description: Headdress frontlet with a wooden bear crest, set within a frame, and painted red, green, and black. The back is unpainted. The frame as well as the bear's eyes, teeth, and paws have inlaid sections of carved abalone shell. Long ermine trailers hang down the back and sea lion whiskers stick out from the top. The headdress would have been worn for a Welcome or Peace Dance. The face's thick, heavy, black eyebrows help to corroborate this attribution. A fistful of eagle down feathers would be placed inside the center of the frontlet. As the chief danced and bowed and greeted his audience, the feathers would float out of his headdress symbolizing peace and friendship. In Tshimshian this was known as Am-halait or "power from the Sky." CONDITION: The object is in fair and stable condition. Special care in handling the piece should be taken for it was treated with arsenic in the past.