FROM 19TH OR EARLY 20TH CENTURY EXHIBIT LABEL WITH CARD: "HEAD-DRESS. - CARVED FROM A SOLID BLOCK OF WOOD. BEHIND IS A HEMISPHERICAL CAP FOR THE HEAD OF WEARER, AND PROJECTING IN FRONT OF THIS IS A LARGE AND ELABORATELY CARVED AND PAINTED BIRD'S HEAD, HOLDING IN ITS BEAK THE SMALL FIGURE OF A MAN, TOES DOWNWARD, WITH HEAD PROJECTING BEYOND BEAK AND LOOKING AHEAD. ON TOP OF BIRD'S HEAD ARE OTHER SMALL HUMAN FACES. THE COLORS ARE BROWN, BLACK, RED, AND WHITE. THE PUPILS OF EYES OF BIRD ARE OF POLISHED IRON. WORN IN DANCES BY INDIANS OF BELLA BELLA. LENGTH, 20 INS. HEIGHT, 9 INS. WIDTH, 9 INS. DIAM. OF CAP, 7 INS. " From card: "Loan: Museo Nacional de Antropologia, May 18, 1964." Loan returned 2012.Catalog card gives 5260 as accession number, but 4686 (also from Swan, in 1876) is more likely, as that accession contains objects from British Columbia.Ian Reid (Heiltsuk), Clyde Tallio (Nuxalk) and Evelyn Windsor (Heiltsuk elder) 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. Consensus is that it looks like a raven. The holes were probably used in order to attach hair, likely human. A mask was used by a dancer at a potlatch then immediately put away, out of sight. This mask is one piece of wood, which looks to be alder. It contains classic Nuxalk or Kimsquit characteristics in the stylized carving of the face and ear. This mask was likely used at initiation ceremonies in which the person would receive their ancestor name.

FROM CARD: "ILLUS.: HNDBK. N. AMER. IND., VOL. 7, NORTHWEST COAST, FIG. 1J, PG. 2." FROM 19TH OR EARLY 20TH CENTURY EXHIBIT LABEL WITH CARD: "WEDGE.---MADE OF ELK'S HORN. USED IN LUMBERING. THE INDIANS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST WERE ABLE BY MEANS OF WEDGES TO SPLIT OFF A SLAB OF ANY REQUIRED THICKNESS ALL AROUND A TREE, AFTER HACKING IN TO THE REQUIRED DEPTH ABOVE AND BELOW THE SLAB. LENGTH, 12 1/2 INCHES; WIDTH, 3 INCHES. CLALLAM INDIANS (SALISHAN STOCK), WASHINGTON. 20,899. COLLECTED BY JAMES G. SWAN."

REPLACEMENT CARD: INFORMATION COPIED FROM LEDGER,AUGUST,1983.

SEE PROCESSING LAB ACCESSION FILE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. See p. 206-207 in Wright, Robin Kathleen. 2001. Northern Haida master carvers. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Wright identifies this object as having been collected by James G. Swan from Duncan ginaawaan at Klinkwan in 1875.

FROM CARD: "68014-7. IN SHAMAN'S BOX [# E68018]." Note re photo: Neg. #2000-6853 is a photo of 68011, 68014, 68015, 68016, and 68017. 68017 is in upper right of image.

FROM 19TH OR EARLY 20TH CENTURY EXHIBIT LABEL WITH CARD: "HELMET IN FOUR PARTS. THE LONGEST PIECE HAS IN REAR A CARVED HEMISPHERICAL CAP FOR HEAD OF WEARER, AND IN FRONT A CARVED REPRESENTATION OF EYES, UPPER JAW, AND MUZZLE OF A LARGE FROG. ON TOP ON EACH SIDE OF THIS HEAD ARE TWO PIECES, LIKE WINGS, CARVED, PAINTED, AND ORNAMENTED WITH TUFTS OF WHITE COARSE HAIR. THE LOWER JAW OF THE FROG IS ATTACHED TO UPPER WITH A HINGE-JOINT, AND IS CARVED AND PAINTED ON UNDER SURFACE TO REPRESENT A MAN'S FACE. WORN BY NATIVE INDIANS OF BELLA BELLA. LENGTH, 19 INS. WIDTH, 12 INS. HEIGHT, 14 INS. BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1876. 20,575. COLLECTED BY J. G. SWAN."Ian Reid (Heiltsuk), Clyde Tallio (Nuxalk) and Jennifer Kramer (anthropologist) 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 sculpting and technique is classic Nuxalk style. The eyebrows are thick and it has a moon-shaped eye orbit. It looks to be some sort of sea creature and is made out of alder. The group believes the attribution as a frog mask in the exhibit label text (Note 1) is wrong, and also believes the mask is from Bella Coola, not Bella Bella.