House Post, from a Set of Four

Artist:Heiltsuk (Bella Bella)

Medium: Cedar wood

Geograhical Locations:

• Waglisla (Bella Bella), British Columbia, Canada

Dates:19th century

Dimensions: 105 3/4 x 32 3/4 x 21in. (268.6 x 83.2 x 53.3cm)

Collections:

• Arts of the Americas

Exhibitions:

• Objects of Myth and Memory
• Life, Death, and Transformation in the Americas
• Climate in Crisis: Environmental Change in the Indigenous Americas

Accession Number: 11.700.4

Image: 11.700.4_acetate_bw.jpg,

Catalogue Description:
House post made of cedar wood, dark and unpainted. Two figures include a large humanoid figure holding a small humanoid figure. The small figure is held in front of the larger figure's chest area. Each head has carved brows, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. There is also a small humanoid head with carved features between the knees of the larger figure. Frontal figures and head are carved in high relief. Back is roughly carved and relatively flat. House post is fragile. There are cracks throughout. There are exceptional losses of wood on and behind small head at bottom. There are miscellaneous holes, especially on the nose of the larger figure. Missing parts include a portion of the left hand and upper lip of the large figure as well as the left foot of the small figure. The back of larger figure's head is hollowed out. The post is very fibrous along the edge of the bottom. This house post is from a set of four (see 11.700.1-.2-.3).

Brooklyn Museum