Penis sheath made from the upper part of a bird beak and partial skull. The beak is light yellow, slightly curved and has a smooth surface. Two large curved lines have been deeply carved into the top creating three arrow-like shapes pointing down the beak. Both sides of the beak have small perpendicular linear incisions creating small checkerboard-like patterns. The top of the beak’s tip has small parallel, incised grooves arranged in a row. The opening has a round woven band wrapped around the back of the beak. Two tufts of grey hair are tied on both sides of the woven ring with a plastic thread. A plastic thread is also tied at the back of the beak through two bored holes.

The backboard for the cradle is missing, only the quilled ornaments remain. These consist of two large sections of smoked skin, which wrapped around the cradle and were decorated with orange, white, red, brown, light blue and yellow porcupine quills. The design may be called "otter tail” design as the fretwork moves from left to right as if the otter was doing this: jump-jump-slide-jump-jump. Another suggestion is that he "fret" design may be an abstract thunderbird. There are also two straps decorated with quill wrapped thongs, tin cones, and blue and white pony beads. The cradle model is exceptional in two respects. First it is a model and only 3 are known. (The other being in the NMAI and the Peabody Salem Essex). This suggests it was might have been made for sale as pieces that are missing perhaps were not made, or were lost after it was acquired. The cradle decorations are displayed on this mount condensed, as the piece would have been longer. The rectangular piece below might not be in correct location. B Hail, "Hau, Kola,” pg. 144, fig. 127, shows an early Dakota cradle with three of these rectangular forms dangling down from the bottom of the cradle board not from the wrappings.

Man's neck ornament composed of two narrow panels covered with dark gray and turquoise feathers (it looks like bird skins are sewn to cotton cloth); a front pendant with a hollow bird-bone flute flanked by two small bird bodies and long red Scarlet macaw feathers; and a smaller back pendant made of outspread bird wings surrounded by additional feathers. Each section is attached with a fiber cord. The bird bodies (Cotinga?) on the front pendant are small and flattened with attached feathers in purple, white, turquoise blue, black, gray, and red; the bird bodies are surrounded by six long red Scarlet Macaw feathers, which are decorated with disks of turquoise and dark blue feathers at the tips. The bird body on the back pendant has two outspread black wings, a turquoise feather disk and a small red feather, surrounded by additional blue, yellow and orange feathers. The ornament is worn during a male child's naming ceremony during which the flute is played. Condition: good; one of the turquoise feather disks on the long red Scarlet Macaw feathers is missing.

Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund

Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund

THIS EXTRAORDINARY PARADISE: LIVING IN NORTHWEST GREENLAND (THE PEARY-MACMILLAN ARCTIC MUSEUM, BOWDOIN COLLEGE, BRUNSWICK, ME, USA, 2005)