Carved & Painted Mask Item Number: E74337-0 from the National Museum of Natural History
Notes
Provenience note: collection apparently purchased or collected by McLean in Sitka and vicinity circa 1884.From card: "Carved & painted mask, with squid coronet. Carved from the solid. Unpainted except for green on facial features and crest. Wood used, presumably cedar or spruce. Tufts of hair pegged into crest symbolizing an octopus extending over crown from ear to ear. Cut sections of furred skin pegged and glued to upper lip and chin to represent moustaches and beard, also above eyes representing eyebrows (all now gone)."Florence Sheakley, elder, made the following comments during the Tlingit Recovering Voices Community Research Visit, March 13-March 24, 2017. This object features an octopus design, a symbol belonging to a group in Sitka. It has eyes made of copper.
Item History
- Made in Sitka, Baranof Island, Alaska, USA
- Collected by Sgt. John J. McLean in Sitka, Baranof Island, Alaska, USA during 1884
- Received on December 27, 1884
What
- Name
- Carved & Painted Mask
- Identification Number
- E74337-0
- Type of Item
- helmet
Who
- Culture
- Tlingit
- Field Collector
- Sgt. John J. McLean
Where
- Holding Institution
- National Museum of Natural History
- Made in
- Sitka, Baranof Island, Alaska, USA
- Collected in
- Sitka, Baranof Island, Alaska, USA
When
- Collection Date
- during 1884
- Acquisition Date
- on December 27, 1884
Other
- Accession Number
- 015504