THE DECORATIVE ART OF THE INDIANS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST. BOAS, FRANZ BULLETIN, 9, 1897

FROM CARD: "THESE RATTLES ARE OF A SIMILAR CLASS TO 20.786, BUT THE STICK IS CARVED, ONE END TO REPRESENT THE HEAD AND BEAK OF A DUCK, THE NECK IN THE MIDDLE FORMS THE HANDLE AND THE OTHER END THE BACK WITH WINGS. IN THE LOWER EDGE OF THE BACK AND WINGS ARE DRILLED SMALL HOLES TO WHICH ARE ATTACHED BY SINEWS MORMON PUFFING [sic, should be puffin] BILLS. ILLUS. IN U.S.M. REPORT 1888 (NIBLACK) PL. LIV, NO. 289. LOANED TO THE DIVISION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 9/30/77. LOAN RETURNED 11/14/77. LOAN: CROSSROADS SEP 22 1988. [E20828-0] ILLUS.: CROSSROADS OF CONTINENTS CATALOGUE; FIG.375, P. 274. ILLUS.: HNDBK. N. AMER. IND., VOL. 7, NORTHWEST COAST, FIG. 15E, PG.222. LOAN RETURNED: JAN 21 1993." Crossroads of Continents catalogue caption identifies E20828-0 as: Tlingit baton rattle. "Tufted puffin beaks were used on baton rattles such as ... [this one], carved as an abstract duck. Wings, tail, and head are detailed with formlines; the long neck forms the handle. Such rattles were used in sets by shamans and dancers," FROM OLD 19TH OR EARLY 20TH CENTURY EXHIBIT LABEL WITH CARD: "RATTLE.---MADE OF WOOD AND CARVED. DESIGN, A DUCK, WITH ORNAMENTS OF THE BEAKS OF THE PUFFIN. KLOWAK INDIANS (KOLUSCHAN STOCK), PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND, ALASKA. 20,828. COLLECTED BY JAMES G. SWAN."Anthropology catalogue ledger book identifies Catalogue #s E20827 and E20911 as Swan original # 61. List in accession file identifies # 61 as "1 box containing complete outfit of an Indian medicine man, Hannegan Indians, Klawark village, P. of Wales Island, Alaska." Catalogue Nos. E20828 - 38 may be related objects?

FROM CARD: "BASKET. 1 GIFT TO ROCHESTER ATHENAEUM & MECHANICS INSTITUTE, FEB. 14, 1903. ONE-EXCHANGE-MR. G. D. E. SCHMELTZ LEIDEN MUSEUM, LEIDEN HOLLAND. MAY 1899."

Shgen George, weaver, Shirley Kendall, elder, and Florence Sheakley, elder, made the following comments during the Tlingit Recovering Voices Community Research Visit, March 13-March 24, 2017. This blanket has a diving whale design. The white faces are not typical to this design, but the center bottom design is. The sharpness of the fringe suggests to Schgen that this was made in 1970s. On this object the side braids are attached on the side, not the top, which is unsual and it's not clear why they were attached this way. Shirley heard from another weaver that the white face may indicate this is alive or a spirit. She commented that there are concerns about using these designs in regalia, and that they shouldn't be separated from their bodies if they are the spirit.According to Gwen Sauser during visit on 8/29/24, this object was possibly weaved by Jennie Thlunaut, who used blue-yellow checkerboard pattern as her signature.

FROM OLD 19TH CENTURY OR EARLY 20TH CENTURY EXHIBIT LABEL WITH CARD: "HEAD-DRESS.---SKULL CAP MADE OF FIVE TRIANGULAR PIECES OF BLUE AND RED CLOTH, ON THE EXTERIOR PART OF WHICH ARE SEWED NUMEROUS LONG LOCKS OF DARK-BROWN HUMAN HAIR. FITTED WITH STRINGS ON SIDE AND WORN AS DANCING WIG. SITKA-KWAHN INDIANS. CIRCUMFERENCE, 24 INS. LENGTH, 24 INS. SITKA, ALASKA, 1876. 20,781. COLLECTED BY J. G. SWAN."