Gift of Mrs. Ferdinand C. Smith and Mr. L. Hawley Hoffman.

Gift of Mrs. Ferdinand C. Smith and Mr. L. Hawley Hoffman.

Museum Purchase: Helen Thurston Ayer Fund.

Collection of the Portland Art Museum.

Collection of the Portland Art Museum.

The objects in this accession were collected primarily for use on museum exhibit mannequins representing a Chilkat Tlingit family group. It may be speculated that this hair was to be used as part of the exhibit.

Anthropology catalogue ledger book identifies Catalogue #s E20827 and E20911 as Swan original # 61. List in accession file identifies # 61 as "1 box containing complete outfit of an Indian medicine man, Hannegan Indians, Klawark village, P. of Wales Island, Alaska." Catalogue Nos. E20828 - 38 may be related objects?

Round basket with lid. Basket (part a) is tall, lid (part b) fits over basket mouth and has a round, squat handle woven into top centre. Weave is very fine; basket is flexible. Decoration is blind imbrication with grass dyed dark brown, light brown and orange and applied in patterns of crosses, linear designs and colour blocks on both basket and lid.

Wooden slat body armour which has been painted and has small faces carved in a line round its middle. The slats are bound together with string-like binding; Good. Additional description: Armour consists of curved front and back pieces, each with an upper flap. Rear piece is shorter, but curves into a tongue shape at centre. Body sections secured together with four horizontal bands of lashing. Flaps secured with two bands of lashing. Front and back body sections decorated with a row of carved heads. The two flaps have a single head at centre of each. Armour also painted with geometric shapes. (J. Tanner, 1999).

Large human mask painted and with leather and copper applique. The eyes rotate and have black eyeballs on one side, and red with copper bands on the other. The pieces of copper sheet are applied in patterns composed of lines, diamonds and eye-shaped sections. The lips and eyebrows are also made from shaped copper, the teeth are painted white and made from wood. The hide arranged in strips down the cheeks, across the upper lip and under the chin could once have had hair, giving the mask a beard. The reverse of the mask has a crossbar for the wearer to grip in their teeth, there are several leather thongs, and a lever attached to leather lines to operate the rolling eyes.; Good