This mat is paired with 05.588.7348-gambling bag and sticks. The design on the gambling mat is a killer whale identifiable by its blow hole and flukes. When the game is played the sticks are thrown down on the exterior of the mat one by one. The painting style resembles that of the Heiltsuk people, living near Kitkatla where this was collected.

This woven carrying band would be worn around the forhead and attached to a woven basket that would rest on the back of the person carrying a load.

By exchange

Openwork basket with fret work around the center and arrow forms around the base.

This collar is richly decorated with claws (bear's?) and fur appendages wrapped with quillwork and yarns. It might have been used for the singer to attract the Hoply People.

Anonymous loan

Bird Stones: A Mystery

Bird stones have been found from Nova Scotia down along the Eastern Seaboard and as far west as the Mississippi River. There are many theories about their function. Were they charms associated with religion? Were they fastened to clothing to indicate status or stage of life? Were they ancient game pieces or handles for a spear thrower (atlatl)? All bird stones are carved from exceptional types of hard stone, and the quantity of surviving examples indicates that they were quite popular.

Bequest of W.S. Morton Mead

By exchange

Brooklyn Museum Collection