Suspension Hook

Item number Ie379 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

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Data
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Description

Basket hook with a humanoid head at the top surmounted by a carved loop. The head is mounted on a shaft that is diamond-shaped in cross-section and bulges slightly at the centre. The hook is double-sided.

History Of Use

Many hooks apparently are images of food spirits, as well as being utilitarian furnishings. By extension, they may also be spirits of fertility. Hooks used to suspend ceremonial goods in the spirit houses are always male and are thought to contain ancestor spirits which protect the contents and the owners.