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Object Number
42-43-10/24071
Display Title
Carved wooden shaman's box.
Descriptions
Object Description
Carved wooden shaman's box. Carved from a single piece of wood in an elongated oval shape with blunted ends, low relief carving which descorates this box appears to represent an open-mouthed bear on fish. On its top is a small round corved lid, depicting a human face with down-turned mouth and a snout-like motif in place of the nose. Similar box in Rasmussen collection (cat# 342) is illustrated in Gunther. Boxes of this sort were used to store small objects which had magical value to the shaman, such as parts of birds and small animals.
Inventory Description
Carved wood box with lid, oval, carved anthropomorphic heads at ends and lid
Classification
- Box
- Raw Material
Department
Ethnographic
Culture
- Tlingit
Geography/Provenience/Site Name
North America
/
United States
/
Alaska
/
Wrangell Borough
/
Fort Wrangell
Materials
Yellow cedar
Dimensions
Overall: 52 x 11 x 8 cm (20 1/2 x 4 5/16 x 3 1/8 in.)
Quantity
1
Label on object
42-43-10/24071 & Bought of the Indians when at/Fort Wrangle, Alaska,/ Aug. 1894/
Provenance
Collector
Samuel H. Gurvitz
(1930)
Collector
Unknown
(August, 1894 - 1930)
Donor
Samuel H. Gurvitz
(October 26, 1942)
Important Note about Historical Language
Collections records may contain language, reflecting past collecting practices and methods of analysis, that is no longer acceptable. The Peabody Museum is committed to addressing the problem of offensive and discriminatory language present in its database. Our museum staff are continually updating these records, adding to and improving content. We welcome your feedback and any questions or concerns you may want to share. Please email us with your comments.
