Described p. 104 in Brown, James Temple. 1883. The whale fishery and its appliances. Washington: Govt. print. off.: "Bear-skin Cloak. Indian name, "Artleitquitl." Worn by natives when whaling or fishing, or in wet weather on shore. 74 by 43 inches. Makah Indians, Cape Flattery, 1883. James G. Swan."

From card: "A very remarkable carving in gray sandstone representing a kneeling woman evidently in the act of giving birth to some animal. The carving no doubt represents an episode from some myth. One of the best examples of native American stone sculpture." Illus. Pl. 15b, after p. 24, in B.A.E. Bulletin 124, "Nootka and Quileute Music" by Frances Densmore. Densmore also describes it on pp. 31-32 of that publication. Densmore states that she showed a photo of this artifact to her Makah informants in 1926, and Young Doctor identified it as made by Santiano, a medicine man who died around 1909: "... one of Santiano's fancy sinkers that he used on his fishline. The old fellow was handy at carving and had several of them. Young Doctor remembered this one and said that Santiano had pounded a nail in the top of the head to fasten his fishline to it. ... He said further that the little animal clasped in the arms of the figure looked like a baby hair seal and that Santiano obtained the rocks for his carvings from a place at Warm House. Apparently the figure represents a creature to which the Makah attributed the characteristic of a mermaid."

REPLACEMENT CARD: INFORMATION COPIED FROM LEDGER,AUGUST, 1983.Basket has whaling scene on side of basket; anchor on lid

HAS CATALOG CARD.

FOUND IN THE COLLECTIONS WITHOUT A MUSEUM CATALOGUE NUMBER. GIVEN # ET666-0 FOR TRACKING PURPOSES. JANE WALSH FEELS THAT THIS OBJECT MAY WELL BE CATALOGUE # E2555 (PEALE # 318), WHICH WOULD MAKE IT A WILKES/U.S. EXPLORING EXPEDITION PIECE. JANE NOTES THAT IT IS VERY SIMILAR TO OTHER NORTHWEST COAST CEDAR BARK BLANKETS OR CAPES WHICH STILL HAVE WILKES CATALOGUE NUMBERS. PEALE # 315 - 318 ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE PEALE CATALOGUE AS "DRESSES WORN BY THE WOMEN OF THE CLASSET [MAKAH] TRIBE OF NATIVES, NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA, THEY ARE MADE OF BARK."From T number card: "Nootkan?, Br. Col. - Wash. Terr.. Duck down trim."

Goes with model boat, catalog number E72936.

FROM CARD: "20896-7. NAME: *WHALING HARPOON. LOCALITY: **SITKA. REMARKS: *#20896 CONSISTS OF HARPOON HEAD, POINT, LANYARD, AND SHEATH. ** COMPARE TO #74208-9 (MAKAH-NEAH BAY) GP."Anthropology catalogue ledger book lists locality for this object as Sitka (perhaps purchased there?) and lists culture as Makah. E20896 and 7 appear to be the two objects listed in the accession file as "2 Makah whaling harpoons."