Bone carved to represent a whale and decorated with abalone inlay and incised formline designs.This object is on loan to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, from 2010 through 2027.Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on this artifact, listed as number E9813B, http://www.alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=508, retrieved 4-24-2012: Amulet, Tsimshian. A shaman's amulets represented the guardian spirits that aided his work. Like his wooden rattles, crown of bear claws, dance apron, and red ocher face paint, bone and stone amulets were essential to his practice. This beautifully carved example represents a killer whale; its tail is a long-beaked bird.

FROM CARD: "WORN AS A FALSE FACE. HAS MOVABLE EYES AND MANDIBLE; MOUTH PIECE OF TIN; COPPER STRIP NAILED OVER LEFT BROW. THIS MASK IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN DERIVED FROM THE NAIS [NASS] RIVER GROUP OF THE TSINSHIM [TSIMSHIAN]. COLLECTOR'S TAG: #108 TLINGIT INDIAN - TAKU TRIBAL MARK. CONQUERED FROM NUMBER OF FLATHEADS OF NASH [NASS] R., B.C. PRICE $35.00 (SUGGESTED ORIGIN TSIMSIAN)."

FROM CARD: "...WHALE EFFIGY SET WITH ABALONE.=NISHGA (NISGA'A). WHALE EFFIGY: LOANED: 4/18/1967 VANCOUVER ART GALLERY. RETURNED: 12/12/1967. LOANED: NATL. INSTIT. OF HEALTH 5/1/71. RETURNED: 11/9/71. LOANED: WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART 9/10/1971. RETURNED: 2/9/72. LOANED TO THE S.I. CENTENNIAL COMM. 7-9-75. LOAN RETURNED MAR 22 1990. LOAN: CROSSROADS. SEP 22 1988. ILLUS. CROSSROADS OF CONTINENTS CATALOGUE; FIG. 374, P.273. LOAN RETURNED: JAN 21 1993." "Amulet depicting a sea creature, probably a whale" according to Crossroads of Continents, illus. Pl. 231, p. 269. "Killer whale amulet made from walrus ivory."Described p. 302 in Barbeau, Charles Marius. 1953. Haida myths illustrated in argillite carvings. [Ottawa]: Dept. of Resources and Development, National Parks Branch, National Museum of Canada. Identified as bone carving with abalone shell inlays, representing the Killer-Whale with Gunarhnesemgyet on his head.This object is on loan to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, from 2010 through 2027.Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on this artifact, listed as number E9813A, http://www.alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=507 retrieved 4-24-2012: Amulet, Tsimshian. The amulet portrays the story of Gunarhnesemgyet, whose wife is abducted by a white killer whale. As the whale speeds away from the village she shouts, "My people, come for me!" Gunarhnesemgyet follows in his canoe and eventually rescues her from the whale with the help of cormorants and the whale's servant, Gitsaedzan.

FROM CARD: "INLAID WITH SHELL. INVENTORIED 1979." FROM OLD 19TH OR EARLY 20TH CENTURY EXHIBIT LABEL WITH CARD: "BRACELET.---MADE OF HORN AND INLAID WITH PIECES OF ABALONE SHELL, HALIOTIS KAMSCHATKENSIS. NASSES [NASS] INDIANS NEAR FORT SIMPSON. GREATEST DIAM., 3 INS. LEAST DIAM., 2 INS. BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1876. 20,638. COLLECTED BY J. G. SWAN."