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ProvenanceCharles Miles, Berkeley, California; Samuel Hubbard, Alaska; Taylor A. Dale, Santa Fe, New Mexico
BibliographyMiles, Charles. Indian and Eskimo Artifacts of North America. New York: Bonanza Books, 1963, p.184, fig.7.132 [detail of pommel] & p. 235, fig.13.5 [full length] [both entries miscatalogue location as Unimak Island, Alaska].
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.317.
Jonaitis, Aldona. Art of the Northwest Coast. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 2006, pg. 19.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 335.
Culture
Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka)
Club
Date1600-1800
MediumWhale jaw bone
DimensionsOverall: 2 × 23 1/2 × 7/8 in. (5.1 × 59.7 × 2.2 cm)
Object numberT0157
Credit LineLoan from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextWhaling, a highly revered and sacred endeavor, was fraught with danger. A weapon made from the jawbone of a whale, an animal that evoked so many powerful associations, likely empowered warriors with additional protection. This club’s elaborately carved pommel depicts a bird holding a small animal. The imagery is similar to that on early clubs.ProvenanceCharles Miles, Berkeley, California; Samuel Hubbard, Alaska; Taylor A. Dale, Santa Fe, New Mexico
BibliographyMiles, Charles. Indian and Eskimo Artifacts of North America. New York: Bonanza Books, 1963, p.184, fig.7.132 [detail of pommel] & p. 235, fig.13.5 [full length] [both entries miscatalogue location as Unimak Island, Alaska].
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.317.
Jonaitis, Aldona. Art of the Northwest Coast. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 2006, pg. 19.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 335.
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