Deeply carved wooden fragment. Carving shows a mirrored pair of birds, sitting foot to foot. One bird ends at the neck where the wood narrows to a small rounded, pointed end. There are remnants of what appears to be a type of root(?) and a short piece of leather(?) wound around this end, as well as some black thread has been added to hold the wrappings in place. The other end has been broken off above the bird's head.

Gift of Sidney Weiner and Harry Hurdy

Gift of Sidney Weiner and Harry Hurdy

Doll in the image of an Inuit woman. The body is made of pink cotton fabric stuffed with wool. The head has been sewn on, and is white, with stitched black facial features and black wool for hair in two long braids. A red woolen hat sits atop the head. The doll wears a patterned pink skirt and a white and blue parka trimmed with a leather fringe along the bottom. The jacket is short at the sides and dips to below the knees at back and to the thighs at front. The parka is decorated with buttons, braiding and fabric fringe and has a large hood. Part b is a pair of detachable blue pants, made of cotton, with an attached set of leather and hide boots that reach the knees.

Sword (part a) has long curving metal blade with a vein-covered surface. Horn handle grip with curving heel/pommel. Silver cross shaped hilt cross-guard (part c) has chased design. Leather covered wood sheath (part b) with brass fittings and leather belt attached.

The backboard for the cradle is missing, only the quilled ornaments remain. These consist of two large sections of smoked skin, which wrapped around the cradle and were decorated with orange, white, red, brown, light blue and yellow porcupine quills. The design may be called "otter tail” design as the fretwork moves from left to right as if the otter was doing this: jump-jump-slide-jump-jump. Another suggestion is that he "fret" design may be an abstract thunderbird. There are also two straps decorated with quill wrapped thongs, tin cones, and blue and white pony beads. The cradle model is exceptional in two respects. First it is a model and only 3 are known. (The other being in the NMAI and the Peabody Salem Essex). This suggests it was might have been made for sale as pieces that are missing perhaps were not made, or were lost after it was acquired. The cradle decorations are displayed on this mount condensed, as the piece would have been longer. The rectangular piece below might not be in correct location. B Hail, "Hau, Kola,” pg. 144, fig. 127, shows an early Dakota cradle with three of these rectangular forms dangling down from the bottom of the cradle board not from the wrappings.

By exchange

Anonymous gift in memory of Dr. Harlow Brooks

A. Augustus Healy Fund