Notes

From card: "Wood; carved in relief; painted black, red, and blue; corners dovetailed (perhaps by a Chinese carpenter). Bought by James G. Swan from Captain Skedance [a.k.a. Skedans], Chief of Cumshewa, October 9, 1883. Illus.: P. 43, Pl. 240b, Celebrations catalogue, Smithsonian Press, 1982." Note: object has multiple catalogue cards with slight variations of above; see scanned cards. Box does not currently have a lid; it is unclear if there was one when it was accessioned.Provenience note: Swan's original list identifies this chest as bought from Skedans, chief of Cumshewa. Skedans was often used as the name for both the hereditary chief and the town of Skedans (Haida names for this town include Qoona, K'uuna, Koona, Q'una, Koona LLnaagay, K'uuna Llnagaay, Q!o'na Inaga'-I, and Q:o'na). Skedans the town is located on the Cumshewa inlet, so perhaps that is what Swan is indicating when he lists the locality as Cumshewa, rather than the town of Cumshewa?Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on this artifact http://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=630 , retrieved 4-28-2011: Chest This chest for storing ceremonial regalia belonged to Gida'nsta [Gidansta], chief of Skedans. The front panel shows Raven grasping two human figures dressed in rod armor. The image on the side panels is probably Xyuu, Southeast Wind, whose ten brothers were clouds. One of them, Cirrus Clouds, may be represented here by eyes and feathers on either side of Raven. Cirrus clouds were the potlatch attire of Tangghwan Llaana (Sea Dweller), the supreme ocean spirit, who belonged to the Raven moiety, and were also thought to represent bird-skin clothing that Shining Heavens, a sky deity, put on to bring fair weather.This object is on loan to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, from 2010 through 2027.