Dancing Mask With Long Fur Appendage

Item number E20574-0 from the National Museum of Natural History.

Public

Item Records

This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.

The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.

These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.

Data
Data Source

This information was automatically generated from data provided by National Museum of Natural History. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Notes

FROM CARD: "LOAN: THE TEXTILE MUSEUM, 4/30/65. 20574 LOANED TO RENWICK 4/29/82. RETURNED 6/1983. FRONTLET WITH TRAILER, CA. 1850-75. HAIDA, OR POSSIBLY TSIMSHIAN INDIANS; FORT SIMPSON, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. WOOD, ABALONE INLAY; RED, BLACK, AND GREEN PAINT; SEA-LION WHISKERS; ERMINE SKINS; RED AND WHITE CLOTH; BROWN FELT, SINEW; THREAD; BALEEN STRIPS 51 X 13 1/4 X 7 1/2 (129.5 X 33.7 X 19.1) THE FRONTLET SHOWS A CREST FIGURE THOUGHT TO BE A RAVEN. THE CROWNS OF FRONTLETS WERE FILLED WITH EAGLE DOWN, THE SYMBOL OF THE MANIFESTATION OF SPIRIT POWER IN THE HUMAN WORLD. AS THE DANCER MOVED AND TURNED, THE DOWN FLOATED OUT OF THE HEADPIECE, FILLING THE AIR WITH THE PRESENCE OF SPIRITUAL BENEDICTION." FROM 19TH OR EARLY 20TH CENTURY EXHIBIT LABEL WITH CARD: 'HEAD-DRESS - CAP OF FELT, TO WHICH IS ATTACHED IN FRONT A WOODEN MASK CARVED, PAINTED, AND INLAID WITH ABALONE SHELL, AND BEHIND A ROW OF SMALL SKINS OF WHITE ERMINE, PUTORIUS ERMINEA, AND A PENDANT BAND OF COTTON SHEETING LINED WITH ROWS OF ERMINE SKINS. AROUND EDGE OF CAP IS A ROW OF LONG SPINES OR WHISKERS OF SEA-LION. WORN IN DANCING BY NASSE [Nass] INDIANS, FT. SIMPSON. MASKE, 8 1/4 INS. LONG AND 6 1/2 INS. WIDE. LENGTH OF DRESS BEHIND, 40 INS. BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1876. COLLECTED BY J.G. SWAN. THE MASK REPRESENTS YEHL, THE RAVEN, ONE OF THE FOUR TOTEMS INTO WHICH THE KOLOSH OR THLINKET STOCK OF INDIANS DIVIDE THEMSELVES. - DALL'S ALASKA AND ITS RESOURCES."