Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund

Wig headdress consisting of a cap made by simple looping of cotton (white) and undyed camelid fibers (natural browns). Thin braids of human hair are attached to and hang from the cap, and are decorated at the lower ends with red, white, yellow/gold, and blue dyed camelid fibers that are wrapped aound each braid. Wig headdresses have been found in association with mummy bundles of elite Wari state representatives buried along the desert coast. They would have been placed on top of the false head of a mummy bundle (Rebecca Stone-Miller, To Weave for the Sun. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Thames and Hudson, 1992). Size: adult. Probable wearer: female or undetermined. Hat: camelid fiber, simple looping. Braiding: human hair. Camelid fiber wrapping.

Frank L. Babbott Fund

Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund

A wooden headdress depicting a mythic antelope mother and child. The larger antelope has long horns, a narrow face, and a curved neck. Each horn has carved into it three sets of four rings. A pattern of carved lines runs vertically down each side and across the forehead. Attached to the face with small nails are metal decorations down both cheeks and across the forehead. A similar decoration is found on both sides of the torso and across the back. The eyes are made of metal nails with a large head. In the ears are round twisted metal rings. The small antelope is on her back. Its short horns are also carved with rings, two sets of four per horn. It has a round twisted metal nose ring, the same large-headed nails for eyes, and earrings of shell and red and blue plastic beads. The large-headed nails are used as decoration in various locations on the figure.

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.

VOICES OF THE ANCESTORS: MUSIC IN THE LIFE OF THE NORTHWEST COAST INDIANS. EXHIBITION CATALOG, 1986, Publisher: THE BRUCE MUSEUM ART OF THE NORTHWEST COAST INDIANS. INVERARITY, ROBERT BRUCE, 1950, Publisher: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS