This cap was part of Brooklyn Museum curator Stewart Culin's personal collection but was originally owned by Frank Hamilton Cushing as part of his own Zuni clothing that he wore. Cushing's acceptance into the Zuni Bow Society was the culmination of his career. Cushing believed the Bow Priesthood to be the most powerful, elaborately organized of all associations. This cap of perforated buckskin is one of the badges of office in the priesthood. It is exceptionally finely crafted.

The whistle is in the form of a human face with an open mouth and the instrument is likely to have been used during the Hamatsa initiation ceremony. Cotton cord is wrapped around the "neck."

Museum Expedition 1904, Museum Collection Fund

Headdress frontlet with a wooden bear crest, set within a frame, and painted red, green, and black. The back is unpainted. The frame as well as the bear's eyes, teeth, and paws have inlaid sections of carved abalone shell. Long ermine trailers hang down the back and sea lion whiskers stick out from the top. The headdress would have been worn for a Welcome or Peace Dance. The face's thick, heavy, black eyebrows help to corroborate this attribution. A fistful of eagle down feathers would be placed inside the center of the frontlet. As the chief danced and bowed and greeted his audience, the feathers would float out of his headdress symbolizing peace and friendship. In Tshimshian this was known as Am-halait or "power from the Sky." CONDITION: The object is in fair and stable condition. Special care in handling the piece should be taken for it was treated with arsenic in the past.

Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund

A war club with an attached metal blade. A twisted cotton cord is attached to the handle. The object's decoration is done by chip carving and incising. Fourteen headless figures are shown on one side of the club and an Indian head is etched onto the metal blade. Possible explanation: The designs cut into the end of the club in rows of triangular shapes represent tipis. Probably, the scene depicted is a recounting of the exploits of the owner of the club. The figure on the end holds a feathered lance or staff, possibly a medicine man. The others, all male that are facing another single male, are men that he touched (coup counting) or killed.

This headdress was worn perpendicularly at the back of the head, not vertically on the crown, as is common with Native American headdresses of very similar style worn by the Yokuts of Central California. In general structure it resembles Pomo headdresses. Supplementary files: "Dance headress for a man; brown straight feathers rise out of a ruff of soft feathers. A quill pendant hangs from the front of the ruff. Condition: good."