Soul catcher made of a tubular piece of grizzly bear shin bone, flared at each open end. The ends are split partway to look like open animal mouths. Eyes are carved above each mouth with incised designs to indicate nostrils. A human-like face and torso, with hands raised to his chin, is carved at top centre, with two small holes drilled at either side of face.

« The consulting of oracles so as to determine where and when to hunt and to know the future with reference to the weather, illness, and personal matters was extremely important to the Lake St. John Montagnais. It is a subject that has been discussed in considerable detail by Speck (1935, pp. 138-147). A more recent discussion of the subject, with a different interpretation, is found in Tanner (1979, ch. 6). » Vanstone, James W. "The Speck Collection of Montagnais Material Culture from the Lower St. Lawrence Drainage, Quebec." Fieldiana. Anthropology. New Series, No. 5 (October 29, 1982), p.19. « Placation of the spirits of game animals was also an important element in Montagnais religion. The collection contains two black bear skulls, one of which is lashed to a piece of wood with narrow strips of caribou skin (fig. 26d). In the Lake St. John area, as well as elsewhere among the Montagnais-Naskapi, the skulls of slain bears were placed in trees. The animals were believed to derive spiritual satisfaction from this procedure and Speck (1935, pp. 102-103, pi. 7) notes that it may be a form of tree burial in which bears, like people, are recognized as being immortal. » Vanstone, James W. "The Speck Collection of Montagnais Material Culture from the Lower St. Lawrence Drainage, Quebec." Fieldiana. Anthropology. New Series, No. 5 (October 29, 1982), p.20, fig 26d (p.54).

« The consulting of oracles so as to determine where and when to hunt and to know the future with reference to the weather, illness, and personal matters was extremely important to the Lake St. John Montagnais. It is a subject that has been discussed in considerable detail by Speck (1935, pp. 138-147). A more recent discussion of the subject, with a different interpretation, is found in Tanner (1979, ch. 6). » Vanstone, James W. "The Speck Collection of Montagnais Material Culture from the Lower St. Lawrence Drainage, Quebec." Fieldiana. Anthropology. New Series, No. 5 (October 29, 1982), p.19. « Placation of the spirits of game animals was also an important element in Montagnais religion. The collection contains two black bear skulls, one of which is lashed to a piece of wood with narrow strips of caribou skin (fig. 26d). In the Lake St. John area, as well as elsewhere among the Montagnais-Naskapi, the skulls of slain bears were placed in trees. The animals were believed to derive spiritual satisfaction from this procedure and Speck (1935, pp. 102-103, pi. 7) notes that it may be a form of tree burial in which bears, like people, are recognized as being immortal. »Vanstone, James W. "The Speck Collection of Montagnais Material Culture from the Lower St. Lawrence Drainage, Quebec." Fieldiana. Anthropology. New Series, No. 5 (October 29, 1982), p.20, fig 26d (p.54).

« A pick made from a bear bone is crudely sharpened at one end (fig. 5b). Speck indicates that it was used to punch holes in meat which was to be smoked and preserved for making pemmican. Such holes open up them eat, allowing the smoke to penetrate. » Vanstone, James W. "The Speck Collection of Montagnais Material Culture from the Lower St. Lawrence Drainage, Quebec." Fieldiana. Anthropology. New Series, No. 5 (October 29, 1982), p.8, fig 5b (p.33)

This is a hand adze composed of a carved wood handle, bear shin bone blade and commercial twine wrapped around both to bind together. The wood handle iconography has the top of a wolf's head with the upper torsos of a pair of dancers wearing wolf masks. These masks usually come in pairs (See 08.491.8905a,b). According to Culin collecting records the bone blade replaced an iron blade (2908:84). According to Bill Holm, Northwest Coast specialist, the twine is commercial and unabraded which indicates the adze has never been used in this form. The handle shows a wear pattern of the hand that used it and is softly worn.

THE TLINGIT INDIANS, BY GEORGE T. EMMONS. GEORGE T. EMMONS; DE LAGUNA, FREDERICA (ED) ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS, 70, 1991 UNDER MOUNT ST. ELIAS: THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE YAKUTAT TLINGIT. DE LAGUNA, FREDERICA, 7, 1972

Soul catcher made of a hollow tubular piece of bone with inlaid abalone. Each end of the tube flares slightly and is carved out in silhouette to represent the open mouth of a creature resembling a bear, wolf, or whale. Abalone shell is inlaid on one side of the faces at teeth, eyes, cheeks, ears and nostrils.

White-yellow coloured bone piece that widens at one end and tapers to a round point on the other. Down the length of the object are eight similar-sized grooved holes in a row. On the top side of the object are two smaller holes and on the underside is a curled edge.

Hollow tubular bone, somewhat flared at two open ends, which are cut to represent the open mouth of an animal. Eyes are carved above each mouth; incised designs indicate nostrils and gills. Two small holes at centre top of tube.