Carved Bone Used By Medicine Man Item Number: E10983-0 from the National Museum of Natural History

Notes

FROM CARD: "FOUND IN PILE OF BLANKETS IN TRADERS ROOM. SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN PLACED THERE BY INDIANS TO WORK INJURY TO THE TRADER. 4/17/67: LOAN DATA-HAS BEEN BROKEN & REPAIRED. 4/18/67:LOANED TO VANCOUVER ART GALL. ILLUSTRATED AS #234 IN ARTS OF THE RAVEN BY DUFF, HOLM AND REID - THE VANCOUVER ART GALLERY, JUNE-SEPTEMBER 1967. 12/13/67: RETURNED BY VANCOUVER. LOAN: CROSSROADS SEP 22 1988. ILLUS.; CROSSROADS OF CONTINENTS CATALOGUE; FIG. 451, P.312. LOAN RETURNED; JAN 21 1993." From photo caption in the Crossroads of Continents catalogue: "Soul Catcher, Tsimshian. Like most soul catchers, this one ... has large, toothed, wolflike heads at each end and a humanoid face in the middle .... It resembles the Kwakiutl supernatural being, Sisiutl, whose usual form is a serpent with a head at each end of his body and a humanoid face in the center (Holm 1983:55-57). Serpent figures were also used as motifs on ceremonial clothing .... "