Soul catcher made of a tubular piece of grizzly bear shin bone, flared at each open end. The ends are split partway to look like open animal mouths. Eyes are carved above each mouth with incised designs to indicate nostrils. A human-like face and torso, with hands raised to his chin, is carved at top centre, with two small holes drilled at either side of face.

The paint is black, red, and green.

Object is a flattish, hollow bone, shaped like a whale with a fin rising from the center of its back. On the fin is a carved face with mouth and teeth indicated. At one end of the whale is an open mouth. Throughout object are carved geometric forms: U-shapes, circles, and elipses forming another mouth, teeth, eyes and nostrils. Several incisions are filled with abalone shell; three pieces of shell are missing. On back of object, at either side of fin, are two holes equal in size. Thought to be used by a Shaman this would be used to catch or hold the ill person's soul while healing ceremonies would be performed. When finished with healing the person's soul would be retunred to his or her body. Condition: A portion of one end of the charm is void. Two holes of equal size appear on its back, one on either side of the fin.

NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN. MURDOCH, DAVID, 1995, Publisher: EYEWITNESS BOOKS - ALFRED A. KNOPF

FROM CARD: "FOUND IN PILE OF BLANKETS IN TRADERS ROOM. SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN PLACED THERE BY INDIANS TO WORK INJURY TO THE TRADER. 4/17/67: LOAN DATA-HAS BEEN BROKEN & REPAIRED. 4/18/67:LOANED TO VANCOUVER ART GALL. ILLUSTRATED AS #234 IN ARTS OF THE RAVEN BY DUFF, HOLM AND REID - THE VANCOUVER ART GALLERY, JUNE-SEPTEMBER 1967. 12/13/67: RETURNED BY VANCOUVER. LOAN: CROSSROADS SEP 22 1988. ILLUS.; CROSSROADS OF CONTINENTS CATALOGUE; FIG. 451, P.312. LOAN RETURNED; JAN 21 1993." From photo caption in the Crossroads of Continents catalogue: "Soul Catcher, Tsimshian. Like most soul catchers, this one ... has large, toothed, wolflike heads at each end and a humanoid face in the middle .... It resembles the Kwakiutl supernatural being, Sisiutl, whose usual form is a serpent with a head at each end of his body and a humanoid face in the center (Holm 1983:55-57). Serpent figures were also used as motifs on ceremonial clothing .... "

TOTEMS TO TURQUOISE (AMNH, NEW YORK, NY, USA, 2004)