Mask

Item number E217408-0 from the National Museum of Natural History.

Public

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Notes

FROM CARD: "MASK PROCURED FROM A HAIDA INDIAN ON THE SKEENA RIVER AND SAID TO BE TLINGIT (IF SO FROM THE TONGASS TRIBE BUT BELIEVED BY EMMONS TO BE HAIDA OR TSIMPSHEAN.) IF IT BE A TLINGIT MASK, AS WAS ALLEGED BY THE COLLECTOR, IT REPRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF THE WATER, IUAGUES LIVING UNDER THE SALT WATER. BELLA BELLA - BILL HOLM 3/1983. EXHIBIT HALL 9, 1987. IDENTIFIED IN EXHIBIT LABEL AS BUKWUS, BELLA BELLA. LOAN: R.H. LOWIE MUSEUM 12/31/1964, LOAN RETURNED FEB. 15 1966." FROM G.T. EMMONS LIST IN ACCESSION FILE: "THIS MASK WAS BROUGHT IN BY A HAIDA LIVING ON THE SKEENA RIVER AND WAS SAID BY HIM TO BE A TLINGIT MASK, WHICH REPRESENTED A SPIRIT OF THE WATER QUAGUES, WHICH LIVES UNDER THE SALT WATER. THE NOSE WOULD INDICATE IT TO BE AN EAGLE. IF IT IS A TLINGIT MASK IT MUST HAVE COME FROM THE TONGASS TRIBE BUT I BELIEVE IT IS EITHER A TSIMPSHEAN OR HAIDA MASK."Emmons indicates in letters dated May 27 and May 28, 1902, sent from Victoria, B.C., and filed in the accession file, that the masks in accession 39904 were purchased by him on those dates.Karen Anderson (Nuxalk 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. The mask is made of alder. The group questions the Tlingit attribution and thinks it could be from Bella Bella and/or a Nuxalk mask. Some of the group members believe it could depict a bear.