A chief's chest, such as this one, was used to store the treasured emblems of his rank: his dancing blankets, headdresses, and the heraldic emblems of the lineage. It also served as a sort of throne or seat on state occasions. Small chests of similar form held shaman's equipment or a chief's ceremonial material, and finally served as a coffin for his cremated remains. (Holm, Spirit and Ancestor, 1987)

George Emmons collected this headdress from a chief of the Koskedi Raven clan at Sitka, Alaska. Although Tlingit headdresses are often attributed to the Tsimshian, many frontlets, including this one, are clearly Tlingit in style. The frontlet's height, the form and arrangement of figures, the blue-painted rim with its widely separated abalone plaques, the red trade flannel, and the mallard-skin border, all point to Tlingit origin. The figures carved on the frontlet are a raven and a large head that resembles a bear. (Holm, Spirit and Ancestor, 1987)