Chief Crest With Top Plume Item Number: E20572-0 from the National Museum of Natural History

Notes

FROM CARD: "REPLACEMENT CARD: INFORMATION COPIED FROM LEDGER, AUGUST, 1983. HAT OF WOOD PAINTED DARK BLUE W/4 BROAD BANDS OF GRAY. HEAD FORMS SHAPE OF ANIMAL W/SNOUT, FANGS. COPPER STRIPS ON LIPS, NOSTRILS. LARGE, METAL COVERED EYES (METAL MISSING FROM ONE EYE.)" Hat also has a column of blue painted cylindrical basketry hat rings (sometimes called potlatch rings) stored with it, which was at one time attached to top of hat.Object has been stored withTsimshian, based on Fort Simpson collection location. Note however that Bella Bella is written inside the hat.Ian Reid (Heiltsuk), Evelyn Windsor (Heiltsuk elder) and Clyde Tallio (Nuxalk) of the delegation from Bella Bella, Bella Coola and Rivers Inlet communities of British Columbia made the following comments during the Recovering Voices Community Research Visit May 20th - 24th, 2013. This is made of spruce root, completely woven. Each of these rings represent how many times the person has potlatched. It may be of Tsimshian or Tlingit origin and it appears that it could be a sea creature.