From card: "Same as no. 206558."

From card: "Illus. in USNM AR, 1888, Pl. 16, fig. 60, p. 270. Loaned to the Department of Exhibits September 17, 1971. Copper teeth; rolling [movable] eyes. [Formerly] Exhibit Hall 9, 1987. Identified in exhibit label as Festival mask - A Human Spirit, Haida, collected at Skidegate village in 1883."On display in National Museum of Natural History exhibit "Objects of Wonder", 2017 - 2024. Exhibit label: Ceremonial mask, Heiltsuk (Bella Bella) or Nuxalk (Bella Coola), acquired from Haida, British Columbia, Canada, 1883; Painted wood, copper, leather. With its moveable eyes and lower jaw, this mask would have inspired awe and veneration. Representing a human-like spirit, the mask and its associated dance paraphernalia were worn by dancers in ritual ceremonies.

From card: "Made from the inner bark (bast) of the cedar tree."

Karen Anderson (Nuxalk elder), Ian Reid (Heiltsuk), Clyde Tallio (Nuxalk), Evelyn Windsor (Heiltsuk elder), and Jennifer Kramer (anthropologist) of the delegation from Bella Bella, Bella Coola and Rivers Inlet communities of British Columbia made the following comments during the Recovering Voices Community Research Visit May 20th - 24th, 2013. This dance image or puppet looks to be whittled noncommittally. It is unfinished, probably produced for tourists. It is made from alder wood. Puppets are very sacred and have power in them that can make you behave a certain way. This object was viewed alongside E073743-0.

From card: "Limb bent crossed and lashed with pine root thongs forming an eye for a rope."

In 1968, George Phebus did a survery of the Department's totem poles, some of which did not have catalogue numbers written on them. At that time, he made his best guess as to which number went to which pole. He assigned catalogue no. E18925 to a Bella Coola/Nuxalk pole with bear/owl/beaver figures. However, the description in the accession records for totem pole #205851 more closely matches this pole, so its number has been changed from 18925 to 205851. Robin Wright has confirmed the Bella Coola/Nuxalk attribution of this pole. ET14953 and ET14957 also match the accession record descriptions of other parts of this pole, so they have been changed to # 205851 as well. - Sally McLendon and F. Pickering 11-2-2006.As of 2006, pole consists of 5 separate sections: bear/owl/beaver section (which actually consists of two connected pieces); eagle crest top section; mountain goat? section; head section; torso section. See info. in accession record from collector for why this is so. Note from collector/donor Iver Fougner in accession file indicates this is from "the lower Indian Village, Bella Coola, B.C.".IN 1990 THE LARGEST SECTION OF THIS TOTEM POLE (WHICH CONSISTS OF TWO CONNECTED PIECES) WAS ON EXHIBIT (under incorrect Catalogue No. 18925) IN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM EXHIBIT HALL 9/11 WITH THE FOLLOWING LABEL: "TOTEM POLE. PROBABLY BELLA COOLA. THE FIGURES REPRESENT (FROM TOP TO BOTTOM) A BEAR, AN OWL, AND A SQUIRREL [sic]." As of 2004, this section of totem pole was on exhibit in left side of NMNH Imax Theater lobby. 2009 exhibit label identified pole as made by Tlingit, Bella Bella, or Bella Coola [though Bella Coola is most probably correct], and identified crests as, from top: bear, seated owl, beaver.Clyde Tallio (Nuxalk) of the delegation from Bella Bella, Bella Coola and Rivers Inlet communities of British Columbia made the following comments during the Recovering Voices Community Research Visit May 20th - 24th, 2013. The very top figure always represents the form in which your ancestor came from the upper world and it depicts your male lineage. The next figure underneath usually represents the mother, grandmother, or wife because she is uplifting her husband with all that she's brought to him. At first when we got here, I thought we were looking at a Heiltsuk piece because Nuxalk are fully painted, they're not supposed to leave any spot unpainted.Starting from the top down, the 5 currently separate component parts of the pole would be put together in this way: eagle section, bear/owl/beaver section, mountain goat section, human head section, human torso section (head goes with/on the torso, though currently in two separate pieces). The back of the wing of the eagle section has the number 367523 scrawled broadly in a blue drafting pencil. The accession number for the Fougner collection is 36752. Possibly the additional 3 was a part number?2018, Bear, owl, beaver section of pole is on exhibit in NMNH Sant Ocean Hall.

From card: "Made from the inner bark (bast) of the cedar tree."

Clyde Tallio (Nuxalk) of the delegation from Bella Bella, Bella Coola and Rivers Inlet communities of British Columbia made the following comments during the Recovering Voices Community Research Visit May 20th - 24th, 2013. The artist is the eldest brother of the four Carpenters, who were carvers. One can always tell because of his ears; ears are always on his masks.

From card: "Upper Village. Birch bark with exterior scratched decoration of serrated designs. Technically a perfect piece. "Chilcotin" is written on old tag with artifact."

From card: "Two tapering pieces of wood hollowed out and joined. Reed, if any, missing."Ian Reid (Heiltsuk), Clyde Tallio (Nuxalk), and Evelyn Windsor (Heiltsuk elder) of the delegation from Bella Bella, Bella Coola and Rivers Inlet communities of British Columbia, made the following comments during the Recovering Voices Community Research Visit May 20th -24th, 2013. This is thought to be a Tsetsaut society whistle. This whistle was used during the initiation of a person into Tsetaust society when they received an ancestral name. The initiates would be confined to the back of a house for a period of time prior to the potlatch. These whistles were used to summon the ancestors of the individual being initiated, and they would dance and a crest mask would appear with connection to that name. Traditionally the whistles would be hidden while played, long ago no one even knew where the sound came from. Even today, the whistles are never blown in front of people, it's all in secret. Additionally, they were never used as an everyday musical instrument, whistles were a very sacred ceremonial piece.