Museum Expedtion 1931, Museum Collection Fund

Frank L. Babbott Fund

Museum Expedtion 1931, Museum Collection Fund

Kanaga mask. Wooden ceremonial mask that takes the form of a large head attached to a body made of crossed wooden slats. The body forms a double cross. The long, two-toned face has holes cut through the wood for eyes and ears. There is a conical protrusion at the forehead, which sits atop a blade-shaped nose, leading into a prow-shaped jaw with no mouth. Two points hang down on either side of the jaw. Several small holes are bored into the edges of the face. The neck is made of three small columns of wood and is attached to the body by adhesive and thin skin straps with remnants of white fur. The body is made of several slats of wood, one vertically placed, crossed by two horizontal with small vertical slats at both ends, marked to represent digits. The slats are tied to each other by skin and/or fibre straps. The body is also two-toned in colour.

Decorative version of a kobyz stringed instrument, with two fibre strings, and two decorative removable wooden pegs (parts c-d). Part b is a wooden base with screws for displaying the instrument.

A heavy, broad leather belt with an attached pouch. The belt closes at the back with four metal-tipped straps, four metal buckles, and seven metal keepers. It appears as though one of the keepers is missing. The surfaces of the buckles and strap tips have been incised with plant imagery. The tops of the keepers have been cast or incised with various symbols. Five of them display crown-like images and two of them depict men on horseback. The pouch closes with two straps and two metal buckles. The belt is decorated with six horizontal rows of circular metal rivets, and the leather has also been incised with geometric patterns. Near the straps of the belt, a Crucifixion scene has been created through the attachment of small metal decorations, sometimes referred to as 'conchos'. The scene contains a figure on a cross, standing in a horseshoe, flanked on either side by a man on horseback. Two birds have also been included in the scene.

War bonnet or headdress made of a brown felt cap with a wide beaded band that sits at the forehead, with long eagle feathers attached above the band, completely surrounding and obscuring it. They are attached by skin loops and each is wrapped with red fabric, secured by sinew, on the lower portion of the shaft. Tufts of animal hair and burgundy fibres sit on small squares of leather, and are attached with adhesive to the feathers at the tips. The beadwork on the band has geometric designs in red, blue, green and gold on a white beaded background. Strands of red cotton and smaller feathers drape down from behind the headband. Overall colours are dark brown, white, red, green, blue and dark yellow.